


Our Picket Fence is Pink so What?

by Dreamr



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Also I love Kid Fics so here you go, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Domestic Fluff, Everyone is Alive Except Georgie Denbrough, Family Feels, Fix-It, Fluff without Plot, I'm obsessed with the idea of Richie as a dad, Kid Fic, Losers Club (IT) Friendship, M/M, Meet the Family, Plot sneaked in, Post-Canon, Rated T for Swearing - it's Richie what did you expect?, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2020-12-24 19:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 41,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21104933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamr/pseuds/Dreamr
Summary: Richie returns home after fighting It. Bruised and overwhelmed by new old memories. Eddie is still in the Hospital and Richie would have loved to stay, sit at his bedside, hold his hand. But that is not his place. That is for Eddie's wife. His place is Home. Home with his girls and Mr. Carrot.(Or, Richie is a Dad and everyone knows but Eddie.)





	1. Rotting Peaches (aka a warm welcome)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know this is different from most Reddie stories out there. But like hear me out: Richie as a Dad?! Like hell yes! 
> 
> Overall, it's mostly conon compliant - besides the kids obviously. And Eddie dying (did that even happen tho? No, it didn't). I'm also thinking about reviving Stan. Tell me what you think.
> 
> This is basically just me writing what I'd love to read so yeah...

Richie’s flight had been delayed by hours. When the Uber finally pulled up at the curb of his house it was late. Way later than he had anticipated. 

"Thanks, Mark.“ Richie slung his duffle bag over one shoulder, gave his driver a tired baring of teeth that might pass as a grin. "Have a good night – oh, and remember what I told you about Vaseline! That is wisdom seldomly shared.“

It made the younger man chuckle. "Sure, I’ll keep it in mind.“

With a yawn, Richie trudged up to the entrance. The cactus next to the door looked like a diseased rabbit. Nothing much had changed. The LA night was just as warm as before, the pink flowers blooming all over his neighbor’s yard still smelled horrendous and you couldn’t see any stars. The stars in Derry had been so different. Actually visible for starters.

“Good evening, Mr. Carrot”, Richie greeted the cactus. “How is this night treating you, good Sir? I’ve had quiet the experience back home. One out of five stars. Would not recommend. Man, I hate clowns! Fucking finally know why.”

Richie withstood the ever-present urge to give the cactus a pat on the head. Instead he fished the keys out of his pocket and opened the door. The delightful smell of rotting peaches wafted straight into his nostrils, made him stumble back. He gagged impressively.

“What the fuck?” Richie exchanged a look with the googly eyes he had stuck onto Mr. Carrot. “Smells like Eddie’s Mom in there.”

For a second, he seriously considered entering the house. But like, he had fucking killed a fucking killer clown! And it didn’t really smell that much better outside. He should just order a cow off of craigslist of something. Let it destroy those disgusting flowers.

Bracing himself Richie entered the hallway. He slipped out of his shoes and pushed them into their space next to his running shoes. The automatic action made him pause. He frowned. Memories of Eddie bitching at him because he was lounging on the bed with his dirty, bacteria invested sneakers on bumbled out of the woodworks. Eddie’s face going red, his hazel eyes big in overexaggerated disgust. Arms gesticulating wildly. Talking so fast spit went flying. His voice rising in pitch and volume as he was talking himself into a rage.

Remembering the past always left him aching with nostalgia. Remembering Eddie… Remembering Eddie was even harder. There were so many memories. So many feelings. So Richie did what he had learned early on in his life and what his therapist told him was the most asscrack coping mechanism that he should stay the fuck away from if possible. He repressed. Took all his feelings, walled them up in a safe little space, maybe for later, maybe for never, just not for now.

Richie placed his keys in a bowl on the sideboard and wondered for a while when exactly he had lost his sense for organized chaos. Eddie would laugh so much if he could see him like this. All neat and tidy and shit.

Richie pulled a face. Feeling rebellious he pulled off his socks and threw them at the dark shadow of the couch not too far away. 

Someone shrieked. High-pitched. 

Richie’s heart skipped a beat. Startled. He barely withheld a very manly screech. Maybe not as successfully as he would have liked.

A small head appeared above the back of the couch. “Daddy?”

Richie flung his arm out in a dramatic gesture, hitting the light switch with more coordination than he would have thought himself capable of. “Lily!”

The girl owlishly blinked at him, her eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness. “Daddy, you’re late.”

Richie sighed. “I know, bug. There was a problem with the plane. Why aren’t you in bed?”

Lily pulled her face into an impressive pout. “Ami snores. Sooooooo loud. Sometimes I think it’s an earthquake. And I wanted to wait for you, because you were gone forever. Sooooo long. I finished all Fruit Loops is how long. And Ami said she wouldn’t buy them ‘cause they are too much sugar and make my blood sticky.”

Richie chuckled. “So I guess we have to go shopping tomorrow.”

Lily squealed excitedly and scrambled up off the couch. “You’re the best Dad ever! Way better than Eva’s! The best to the very end of the Universe!”

She crashed into Richie’s legs, her favorite blanket tied around her neck like a cape. He leaned down and picked her up with a slight groan. She was growing so fast, almost too heavy to carry already.

He walked them back to the couch and settled into the soft cushions. She buried her face in his neck, her little hands fisting into the fabric of his slightly sweaty shirt. Holding her, feeling her breathing made him choke up. He could have lost this. He could have died. Left them alone all over again.

It was difficult to control his breathing, to not slip into a panic attack. Suddenly overwhelmed he pressed Lily closer. Her hair smelled like lemongrass – his favorite shampoo. She hugged him back equally as strong.

It took a while for his pulse to slow again. Until he didn’t have to count his breaths anymore. 

“I missed you, Daddy”, Lily whispered.

Immediately, Richie was all chocked up again. “I missed you too, bug.”

He wouldn’t be here if it not for Eddie saving his life. So close. So fucking close. He’d have to call Bev first thing in the morning, ask how he was doing. Whether he had finally woken up. Whether his wife had arrived. 

Richie was happy to be home. But he also missed the Losers already. Their easy camaraderie. How they just got him, understood him. Accepted him. 

Lily fell asleep in his lap. Richie sat there for a long time, mindlessly rubbing her back and listening to her breathing.

Hugging her felt different now. Like remembering his childhood and teenage years opened up a deep, hidden part of his self. Like he was now able to hug his daughter with more of his heart.

“Richie?”

He swiveled his head back until he was able to see the stairs. “Hey Ami.” His voice was soft, slightly broken.

“Did you cry?” Amelia sounded horrified. “Wait! Are you crying?”

Richie shrugged with the one shoulder Lily wasn’t resting on. For once not cracking a joke.

“You look like death warmed over.” Amelia came to a standstill in front of him, scrutinizing him. “Did you get into a fight in Derry fucking Maine, Richie? Like seriously? I thought it was some kind of reunion with childhood friends you didn’t even remember.”

Richie shushed her, gesticulating at Lily. “Nothing I couldn’t handle, don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry?” she mouthed at him, flinging her arms out and rolling her eyes. “Have you looked into a mirror recently?”

“You wish you were as pretty as me!” Richie whispered back.

“Yeah! You wear your bruises like makeup. Sure! You could’ve just asked for my eyeliner.”

“I’m more for the natural products. All organic and shit.”

Amelia sighed, long and suffering. Flipped him the bird. Richie gripped her wrist and pulled her down onto the couch. Kissed the offending finger. Amelia burrowed into his side after only a short moment of hesitation. He slung an arm around her shoulders, held her close.

“Are you okay, Dad?” Amelia’s voice was slightly wobbly, cautious. Like she was afraid of the answer.

“I’m fine, Amelia. Only some scratches. A few bruises. It’ll heal.” Eddie is of far worse.

“Good.” She muffled a yawn in his shoulder. “I won’t even ask about your emotional state but you should know I care.”

Richie couldn’t help the fond smile. He tousled her hair until she beat his hand away. Lily mumbled something in her sleep, tossing her head slightly to the side. Amelia put a hand on her sister’s back, rubbing soothing circles.

“She had a lot of bad dreams while you were gone.” She looked worried.

Her words hurt. “I’m sorry for leaving you two alone for so long.”

Amelia shrugged, all trying-to-be-a-grown-up teenager. “Mrs. Alvarez is here, she’s been showing me how to cook Mexican food. We made Tamales for dinner. There are some leftovers in the fridge if you want them. She’s also been teaching Lily and me some Spanish. I love her, she’s great.”

Richie hummed. 

Amelia sat up and looked at him. “I’m happy you’re home though.”

“Me too.”

“I’ll demand the full story of what happened tomorrow! I’m too tired to pry it out of you right now.”

“So responsible, I’m proud.”

They were gearing up for another Sarcasm Contest when Lily whimpered and their attention got diverted.

“I’ll let her sleep in my bed tonight.” Richie hugged her a bit tighter. “Do you want to join us?”

It said a lot about how much Amelia had actually missed him that she didn’t even protest. She nodded. “Only if you shower first though. You smell like you took a shower in grey water.”

Richie chuckled. “I guess the smell is more persistent than I thought. Do I smell like caca, señorita?”

Amelia pulled a face. “Worse.”

In the morning, Richie found the source of the rotten smell in the kitchen. On the kitchen counter sat an assortment of decomposing fruits. All carefully labeled with the Latin name and a date. It was Lily’s science project.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excuse my French! I'm 100% convinced Richie would let his teenaged daughter swear though.
> 
> I hope you liked this introduction to my OCs, feel free to tell me what to think. Or if you noticed any glaring gramma/spelling mistakes.
> 
> Have a great day or night!


	2. A Sales Guy (aka a warm welcome take 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie figures shit out.
> 
> (Eddie's POV)

Eddie woke up. Again. Not that he remembered all too much about the other times. They were blurry. Memories of warm hands holding his, Bill's stutter and Bev's mocking voice.

This time he felt somewhat clear-headed if still a bit woozy. Almost like he was actually human and not just some vague idea of an identity moving through time and space. 

The hospital room was still all too white, all too empty. He had dreamed of thick glasses, stupid accents and comforting warmth. The memory slowly dissolved as he lay there. He held impossibly still, desperately trying to hold onto it. Keep it just a little longer.

A screeching voice interrupted his concentration and the dream slipped through his fingers. Sinking away and leaving nothing but a sense of betrayal.

"No! I forbid it! They just cleaned his room! Do you know what diseases you could drag in there? Isn't it enough that you almost got him killed once?"

Eddie made a low sound. It was pathetic even to his own ears. The urge to climb out of the window and just disappear into the blinding sunlight of the day was overwhelming for a few moments. Then the familiar sense of defeat swept in. Nausea curdled his stomach.

A soft, patient voice answered Myra's, too low for Eddie to understand. It sounded like Ben.

After what seemed like a lengthy discussion, the door opened.

"Five minutes!" Myra insisted. "Not a second longer!"

The Losers filtered into the room and Eddie clearly saw Bill and Mike exchanging a look, Bill rolling his eyes.

"Oh Eddie, honey, you're awake!" Beverly's grim face transformed into a sunny smile. 

They lined both sides of his bed, reaching out to touch his shoulders or knees. Eddie tried to smile.

But… "Where is Richie?" 

His voice broke halfway through the question. Husky, unused. 

He really, really needed his inhaler right this second. 

Where was Richie? 

He didn't remember seeing him the last few times he had woken up. He couldn't be - be dead, could he?

Picking up on his rising panic, Beverly squeezed his shoulder. "He's fine. I just got off the phone with him a few minutes ago."

Relieved Eddie managed to at least somewhat relax. His throat hurt. Why wasn't Richie here?

Bill grinned. "He had to go h-home." 

General amusement spread among the group. Eddie just scowled at them, feeling left out of some kind of joke.

Mike cleared his throat. "On a more important note, we have some good news."

The suspenseful silence was the perfect setup for one of Richie's stupid comments. 

"Stan just got released from the psych ward. He'll get back on his feet."

Eddie felt himself gasp. "Stan is alive?"

The phone Ben had given him before Myra demanded they leave became Eddie's most prized possession. His old one was gone, probably broken and buried beneath countless pounds of rubble and stone. 

He kept it hidden from Myra. It was his lifeline. Losing it would be unbearable. And it was obvious that she disapproved of his friends. Strongly.

During his rehabilitation and later when he was discharged Eddie got into the habit of locking himself in the bathroom, reading through all the messages in the group chat or calling his friends. That is until Beverly noticed.

She was harsh, talking about abusive relationships and falling into old patterns. About the comfort of the known.

The worst was that Eddie knew. Since he woke up in the hospital he knew. But it was hard. He rarely got a word in edgewise with Myra. And it was just so easy. To step back. Let her decide. 

One evening Richie called. They rarely talked. Rarely communicated at all. It was like Richie had taken a step back - like he was purposely putting distance between them.

Eddie immediately picked up. Even though he was sitting at the dinner table with Myra. Even though he knew she would hate it.

"Richie?"

"Hey there Spaghetti-man."

Myra looked aghast. A deep frown burrowing into her forehead.

"What's up?"

"Oh, I just had this idea when I was with your Mom last night. It hit me right in the cojones."

Eddie kind of snorted in amusement and got up. Left the table in the middle of dinner. Myra looked speechless. Furious.

"The woman is dead, Richie. Let her rest in peace."

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that. She seemed pretty lively to me. Anyways, Bill and I wanted to organize this little get-together in LA. Invite all the Losers over and shit. No plus ones allowed though. Just the original squad."

Eddie looked at Myra whose face was slowly coloring a deep, unhealthy purple. She looked like she was holding her breath.

"No problem." Eddie turned his back to her. "I'm getting divorced."

Richie lived in a pretty decent neighborhood. It looked expensive. Which it probably was. LA-prices were insane. Eddie had looked into apartments here and quickly given up on the idea.

His suitcase tumbled over an impressive crack in the pavement of the sidewalk and almost crashed to the side. The city had really bad streets. They were almost hazardous. 

The weather sucked too. There was a thick blanket of clouds and smog suffocating the city and it was warm. Too warm for March anyways. And humid.

Eddie dragged his suitcase up the hill towards the house his Uber driver had indicated. He still wasn't 100% convinced that it was actually Richie's. In his head Richie lived in a tiny, messy shoebox somewhere downtown. Not in the hills. And certainly not in a modern looking house with an almost domestic aura. 

There was also this monstrosity of a pink picket fence guarding the surprisingly neat front yard. It was a decidedly weird sight. 

He trudged up the path to the house. Next to the entrance door stood a scraggly cactus on an imposing pedestal. It was staring at him out of glued on googly eyes. Suddenly, Eddie was rather sure he had indeed found the right house. The "clowns forbidden" doormat was an additional clue.

He rang the doorbell, nerves scrabbling through his chest. He hadn't seen Richie since back before Neibolt street. At least not in person. There had been a few Skype calls with more or less the whole Losers Club. But they didn't count. Richie hadn't been more than a few blurry pixels on his screen.

The door opened. Slowly and not all too far. A little girls head appeared in the gap. She was young. A child. Her skin the color of milk chocolate, hair a frizzy mess.

She eyed him up and down. Smiled almost too fake - and then closed the door in his face. Without a word.

Eddie blinked at the closed door. His brain didn't compute. He must have the wrong house after all. No doubt.

Just when he wanted to step back from the door he heard it. Richie's voice. Slightly muffled but clear enough.

"Who was it?"

"A sales guy." She was still close enough to the door that Eddie could hear her perfectly.

His jaw dropped. 

"A sales guy?" he repeated dumbly.

"A sales guy?" Richie echoed at the same time.

Eddie pressed his finger to the doorbell again. Insistently. The dancing melody rang throughout the house. 

Not even three seconds later, the door burst open. Richie crowed at the sight of Eddie's scowl. Then he doubled over laughing. Hysterically.

"I knew it was you", he got out in-between fits of laughter. "Oh Eds! This- this is gold!"

Eddie sneered. "What the hell, man?"

The little girl appeared from behind Richie's legs, eyeing him once again.

"You're Eddie?" She smiled radiantly, lacking more than one tooth. "Sorry, I thought you were smaller."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stan is alive *throws confetti* which proves this fic is pure, unadulterated wish fulfillment on my part. Next chapter we'll experience more of the Toziers again.
> 
> I love writing Richie's kids. It's so much fun!


	3. Parenting 101 (by Richie Tozier)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie isn't happy that he was left out of the loop.
> 
> And apparently Stan now has a dog (only mentioned so far).

Richie was still laughing. Undignified. With his head thrown back, all teeth on display. A full-bodied laugh that left him gasping and shaking.

Eddie didn't think it was that funny. At all. Especially because the little girl was giggling along. Even though she looked like she didn't understand what was going on.

At some point, their laughter drew a teenager into the room. Dark haired and lanky, glasses and oversized shirt. She looked a lot like Richie did back in the day. Style wise at least. 

She watched the antics for a few moments before directing her attention towards Eddie. 

"You must be Edward."

Richie choked on his own laughter. For a second, Eddie was worried he might actually die - but then he decided he definitely did not care.

The girl sighed overdramatically. "I'm sorry if that's not your preferred name. Richie is an asshole. Tried to convince me your name was Eduardo. No offence if it actually is - but like I mean you know him right? I'm pretty sure it was a joke… Unless it wasn't." 

She turned towards Richie who was halfway to the floor, having slid down from the couch. 

"Richie did you reverse-psychology me? Oh my God, did I just offend your-"

"WOW WOW!" Suddenly, Richie was serious. He scrambled upwards. His tearstained eyes hectic.

"-best friend?" She narrowed her eyes at Richie.

Eddie cooed. "Richie~ I had no idea you cared."

Richie mimicked a full-bodied shiver. "Don't just ruin my street cred like that Ami! Now I'll get bullied."

He seemed a bit off. Then again, it was Richie. Richie was weird.

Eddie welcomed the glass of water from Richie with a muttered thanks. They were leaning against the kitchen island, watching the girls do their homework. There had been only minimal protest. 

It left Eddie reeling. Richie was actually good with kids.

"Soooo," Richie said. 

Eddie put his glass down. Hard. Water sploshed over his hand.

"Fuck you, Dickwad!"

Richie bowed slightly. "I serve to please, Sire."

"You have kids! Why the fuck didn't I know?"

Ami slapped her book closed. "You didn't tell him about us?"

She sounded hurt.

"Is this the kind of moment my therapist warned me not to make jokes at?" Richie actually sounded serious. Even though there was a slight undertone that Eddie definitely picked up on.

"Yes!" Ami threw her hands in the air.

Richie and Eddie exchanged a look.

"I'm sorry, honey."

Ami grumbled. Not happy but appeased. She turned back to her homework. Lily was humming along to the music from her headphones, obvious to what was going on around her.

After a second of thought, Eddie grabbed Richie's wrist, dragging him outside. The garden was well maintained offering shade beneath a white blooming tree and even a small patch for herbs. 

Eddie stepped out onto the wooden patio, pulled the sliding glass door closed behind them. There was a huge grill and even a fenced in pool. If not for the toys lying around it would look like a magazine cover.

"Do the others know?" 

Richie scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. I had to explain why I was leaving while you were still half dead."

"Oh, fuck you! Why did nobody tell me? Like is there anything else everybody knows but me? Huh, Richie? Any key features of your life that absolutely everyone, probably even Stan's dog, is aware of but me?"

Clearing his throat, Richie took a step back. Nervous.

"I like the dick?"

The world stopped turning there for a moment. Eddie was sure he had misheard, misinterpreted. Maybe he had a brain tumor that made him hallucinate.

"What?" His voice was weak, disbelieving.

"I'm gay, more like bi. Ami says I'm probably pan. But I'm not even sure what that means." 

Richie looked incredibly vulnerable. Afraid.

Afraid of rejection.

"That's- That's cool, man." Eddie had a hard time finding words. 

"It won't change anything," Richie said quickly, emphatically. It was a promise.

Eddie disgreed. It changed everything.

"Rich," Eddie whispered. "I had like the biggest crush on you when we were teenagers."

"You had a crush on me? Aw, that's embarrassing." 

It were empty words. Eddie could see that the information was still filtering through Richie's brain. The other man was slowly becoming more and more bug-eyed.

"Beep beep, Richie," he said half-heartedly.

"You-" Richie points at Eddie before gesticulating at himself, "Had a crush on me? Are you- Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fucking sure!"

Richie stared at him like he had just revealed that he was related to Madonna or something equally unrealistic.

"I think I'm having a stroke."

Eddie sat with the girls for a bit. Ami - or Amelia as she had introduced herself - was fifteen, her sister seven. Lilian and her were both adopted.

"My Mom sometimes comes to visit me," Amelia whispered after making sure Lily wasn't listening. "She's a trainwreck. In and out of rehab since years."

She pulled a face. Got lost in her thoughts for a moment.

"Lily's parents died when she was just a baby. I don't really know more. Richie won't tell."

Blinking at her, Eddie nodded slightly. He didn't get why she thought he was trustworthy. Why she was telling him all this personal stuff.

That was until she casually dropped a bomb a few minutes later and he realized Richie must have told her a fuckton about Derry and their past.

"You know just like when Mrs. K didn't allow you to go camping with the others, so you snuck out. And then you and Richie got drunk and almost drowned in waist high water? Because you wanted to catch turtles? It was a bit like that."

"We were high too," Richie said, sounding nostalgic and fond. 

He tousled Amelia's hair and dropped into the chair next to Lily. Eddie gaped at him.

"Don't tell her that!"

"Why not? Open communication is the key to trust and a healthy relationship."

"Preach!" Amelia agreed and held her hand up for a high-five.

Flabbergasted, Eddie stared at the small family. It was weird to see Richie this happy, almost carefree. Back in Derry he had carried an aura of darkness and depression. Despair. They all had probably.

"Eduardo!" 

Eddie snapped out of his thoughts. Diverted his eyes from Richie's smik.

"What should we order for dinner? Ami always votes for healthy stuff so I need you to counter her. Please! Lily is in a phase where she agrees with Ami on almost everything. So your vote is crucial."

Ami cackled. "Eating healthy is something good, Richie. You're getting into that age now where one has to worry about heart diseases. Like old, you know. You're getting old."

"Eddie's Mom is old. That doesn't mean-" Richie made an undignified sound and blessedly stopped talking.

Eddie smiled at him like he hadn't just kicked him against the shin. "Why not just cook something?"

The older two Toziers exchanged a quick look before pealing laughter filled the huge open space.

Eddie narrowed his eyes at them. "Don't tell me this fancy-ass kitchen is just for decor?"

Silence was his answer. Silence interrupted by giggles and choked laughter. Lily pulled the headphones out of her ears, sparing a curious glance at Richie and Amelia. Eddie was surprised she had been able to work for so long with all that had been going on.

"Do you want to go shopping with me, Lily?" Eddie asked.

The girl's eyes widened with wonder. "Food shopping?"

"Yes. With your Dad's credit card. We'll splurge."

She started beaming. "Can I have celery sticks?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, mhmm, Eddie had a crush?  
Also what do you think of Richie's parenting style?
> 
> Thank you for reading~~  
You mean a great deal to me! Have a good day/night!


	4. Steak with Fries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just domestic bliss for my own mental health. 
> 
> Enjoy reading <3

It was funny to see Eddie in the kitchen. He had wrapped himself in an apron that he had picked up while shopping with Lily and was standing at the island counter like he was royalty. Lily stood at his side on a stool, curious and only of little help.

The apron was one of the 'kiss the cook' variety. Eddie had grinned broadly while unpacking it. In response Richie's heart had skipped a beat like the dramatic bastard it was. He wasn't sure what it meant. That smile. Whether or not there was a meaning behind it.

"So, what are you cooking?" Amelia had snuck up behind Eddie and was now stealing glances at their future dinner over his shoulder.

"Jeez, Amelia." Eddie patted his chest. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry."

"Steak with a side of fries. Obviously."

He was standing in front of an assortment of veggies and whole wheat pasta.

Amelia hummed in understanding. "The good sh- shtuff."

"Want to help?"

To Richie's utmost surprise, Amelia nodded eagerly.

"But I'm helping already!" Lily sounded deeply offended. "I was helping first."

Richie didn't recognize his own children. This was a side of them he had never seen before. He realized they might only avoid the kitchen because he did. Because he was who they looked up to for direction. 

Since Amelia had told him about Mrs. Alvarez' tamales he hadn't seen her even look into the direction of the stove. Suddenly, he felt bad. Her and Lily looked utterly enraptured as they watched Eddie wash the vegetables. And he was only washing them, nothing interesting was happening at all.

Amelia was allowed to help with cutting the zucchini and washing the greens, while Eddie took his time to explain to Lily how you peeled carrots.

"You have to be careful with the blade of the peeler," he told her. And: "We always point blades away from us." 

Richie had taken a seat at the counter and decided to watch them. He didn't want to leave the room. Miss anything. His chest was swelling with feelings he was itching to make a joke at.

"Daddy look!" 

Lily was holding up her first fully peeled carrot.

"You're a natural, bug!" Richie felt an excessive amount of pride in his daughter, couldn't help but grin.

She was adorable.

Eddie "sautéed" some onions, boiled the pasta. Added the veggies to the pan, first the carrots, then the peppers.

Richie watched him explain to the girls how you made tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes. How important a balanced meal was for the body. Why you added certain spices at certain times. That oregano had to cook for some time to develop its flavor.

There was an assortment of new spices and herbs on the kitchen counter. Quite a few Richie had only ever seen on TV.

Some garlic went in last, together with a few chickpeas "for protein". Somehow, Richie wasn't surprised at all that Eddie had a thing for healthy food.

Amelia's eyes were sparkling. Plant based and healthy had been her goal for months now. Lily seemed to not really care what they had for dinner as long as she played an important part in preparing it. She was beaming because Eddie had bestowed the crucial task of stirring the sauce on her shoulders.

Richie decked the table. He even got out the fancy plates. The ones he had been gifted some years ago and that made Eddie ‘ahh’ when he first laid eyes on them. To Richie’s surprise he even owned an assortment of napkins – mostly leftovers from birthday parties. 

He got them some water to drink and left the sugary stuff in the fridge. For a moment, he had thought about it but Amelia had shaken her head with a meaningful glance at Eddie. So, only water it was.

After the lively dinner, Amelia disappeared upstairs into her room while Lily somehow convinced Eddie to play Lego’s with her. Richie was elbow deep in dirty dishwater otherwise he might have saved him. Probably not.

They were building towers, maybe for a castle or a fort. Or just for fun. It made Richie feel all bubbly inside to see them discussing the best shape or what colors to use. 

After loading the dishwasher he seized the opportunity and sent some pictures into the group chat. Beverly would love this. Bill as well. The others would get a giggle out of it. And some blackmail material.

Eddie didn’t seem to mind. He just held his middle finger up towards the camera. Only after making sure Lily wasn’t able to see it though. Richie could see him smile. Honest and warm.

Richie wriggled out of his emotional state and grabbed his laptop to get some work done. Not that he was really able to concentrate. Too much of his attention was divided towards Eddie getting butthurt over Lily’s disapproval of his building skills.

Just when he finally got immersed in writing an e-mail he had been procrastinating on since days, Stanley wrote. Reminding Richie of his arrival time tomorrow, his flight number and a lot more information that was probably unimportant. Richie spent a few minutes trying to calm his friend via text before he told Bill to call him. Bill was best at everything Stanley, Richie would probably just make it worse with an ill-timed joke. 

Then Beverly sent a photo of her and Ben’s dinner, as well as pictures of their drive down from San Francisco. They were driving along the coast staying over in some small seaside hotel before continuing on towards LA tomorrow. The scenery was breathtaking. Richie should take the girls on a weekend trip sometime. They loved road trips.

The food was pretty to look at but nothing that could rival Eddie’s pasta. At least in Richie’s eyes. Eddie’s pasta sauce had been heavenly. So good it reminded Richie of his visits to Italy. Maybe it had all tasted a bit too healthy but still. The girls had loved the home cooked meal. Lily had even eaten the peppers which she normally spit out in a show of disgust. 

Richie spammed some more pictures of Eddie and Lily with their Lego towers into the group chat. Beverly answered with an assortment of travel selfies. They battled for a while and only stopped when Bill told them he needed to work and they were distracting him. Like a lot.

A couple of minutes later, Stan sent a picture of his dog and the chat exploded again.

“How’re you holding up?”

They were sitting in the dimly lit room, the TV playing some kind of movie that neither of them was really paying attention to. Eddie looked up from his phone. His frown slowly dissipated.

“Good, good.”

“For real, Eds. How is everything?”

He didn’t reply right away. Instead, the frown reappeared. His face only illuminated by the blue light of the TV screen. The lines on his face seemed deeper. Richie’s eyes found the knife scar on his cheek. 

They made eye contact. Eddie’s eyes had always been a deep pool of emotions. Easily read. Even easier to get lost in.

Eddie looked away first and Richie desperately wanted to challenge him. Make him look back at Richie. The intimacy had been almost too intense. Too much. The silence pregnant with possibilities. 

How was it possible that Eddie had had a crush on him? 

Had it been a joke? A fluke?

Richie still couldn’t believe it.

“I’m really fine.” Eddie scratched his chin, making a delicious sound. “Myra though- I don’t think she’s all too good. Her sister screamed at me for a solid thirty minutes while I was getting the last of my stuff. Told me it was all my fault. That I broke her. Good thing she was there though. I wouldn’t have wanted to be alone with her. Myra that is.”

Eddie trembled slightly. “I still can’t believe it. It’s over.”

Richie hummed. He didn’t want to joke. But he also really didn’t know what to say. It was a minefield. Every possible sentence that came to his mind too intrusive, too superficial. He didn’t want to deflect. He didn’t want to hurt Eddie.

“Before Derry, I wasn’t necessarily happy. Content maybe. If that. It was just, you know. Life. I was just living day to day. Now all my shit is stored in a unit and I’m in fucking LA meeting friends that I didn’t remember for over half my life.”

Eddie sighed. Looked up at the ceiling. Sighed more deeply. Richie was pretty sure he was puffing out his cheeks. Expecting eyes found Richie’s. Suddenly, he felt insecure. What did Eddie want from him?

“What the hell, Trashmouth!” Eddie kicked him against the knee. “Did you fall asleep with your eyes open or some shit like that? Choke on your tongue?”

Richie shrugged. Made a gesture that could mean everything. Or nothing.

“I was thinking about your Mom, Edward. It was quiet intoxicating.”

Eddie gagged. Kicked Richie in the knee again. Richie caught his ankle out of reflex.

Suddenly, there was tension in the air between them. Richie’s fingers hot against the skin above Eddie’s socks. Staring at his own offending limb, Richie held his breath. He really should let go. It wasn’t happening though. He was unable to move. Frozen. His body unwilling. His face hot.

“Rich,” Eddie said. It was barely more than a whisper. 

Richie took a stuttering breath. Looked up. Right into Eddie’s eyes. 

“I have to apologize to Mrs. K.”

“What?”

“Every time I was with her, I was secretly thinking of you.”

Eddie blinked at him. Something exploded on the TV screen. The bright flash of light illuminating the room.

“Oh fuck you, you absolute asshole!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not 100% happy with this chapter. But it's NaNoWriMo and yeah... It's a whole thing.
> 
> Tell me what you think.   
I personally just love Eddie cooking with Richie's kids. So wholesome!
> 
> (The last scene was slightly inspired by a Tumblr post. Credits to the creator.)


	5. Bu-hut Strawberry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here I go again with even more domestic fluff~ Winter where I am from is dark and cold so I needed a little comfort writing.
> 
> Welcome to the next chapter with this family! I hope you enjoy! Thanks for the wait <3 and the comments and the kudos! You're all amazing!!!
> 
> Richie POV

Richie woke with a start, a snore stuck in his throat. He felt rested. Sleep drunk. His brain foggy, his eyes crusted. It was blessedly quiet. 

The sun was up high, hinting that it was close to noon. Blue sky, only a few clouds.

Richie yawned, stretched. His back popped satisfyingly. Peace. Quiet.

He hadn't slept this well in- forever. He literally couldn't remember. College had been too many parties, too many embarrassing stories to remember. After that he'd been living day to day, comedy still barely more than a hobby. Living off of minimum wage jobs and trying not to lose himself to booze and bad company. There had been a glorious few months that he had a stable, well paying job and could finally start paying off some of his debts but that came crumbling down soon enough. He hit rock bottom with 27. Almost died a couple of times. Almost did a lot of stuff. But he had gotten through it. Soldiered on. By 30 his comedy career had started to take off and he could finally afford a decent apartment. Still shared but that was LA for you. A few years later, he suddenly had Amelia to take care of and that was that for any restful sleep. Even more so since Lily joined the family.

Normally, Lily woke him at 7 a.m. She was an early riser. Only exception was when she was sick.

Richie scrambled for his phone. 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Weekend. At least he didn't forget about school. 

It was still weird. At the very least Amelia should have woken him to make breakfast. Or Lily because Amelia wouldn't give her the cereal from the top shelf.

10:30. Something was wrong.

Richie checked the bedrooms first. Both were deserted. Lily's was the usual chaos. Amelia had left the lights on. Untypical. Her laptop was opened to a word document. He switched the lights off but left the laptop as it was. Amelia would hate him to all eternity should he read something on there that he wasn't supposed to.

Closer to the stairs he could hear soft music, talking. Laughter. The distinct smell of pancakes made his mouth water. Lily screeched but in a good way.

It made him smile and feel all soft and squishy inside. Seeing his girls happy never failed to brighten his day, no matter how disastrous it had been to that point.

Lily sat on the counter, talking animatedly. She was radiant. Grinning ear to ear. Amelia was at the stove, flipping pancakes. She was swaying slightly to the music.

And then there was Eddie. Smiling and listening to Lily's babbling, while cutting up an assortment of fruits and berries that Richie didn't remember owning.

It was terrifyingly domestic. Richie felt like dramatically gripping his heart and sinking to the floor. Nobody was looking though. So instead he leaned against the wall and just watched. Enjoying the sweet ache in his chest, feeling immensely grateful.

Breakfast was delicious even though Amelia gloated about it being plant based and without sugar. Eddie said he used dates instead. Whatever that meant. Richie just nodded, which made Amelia snicker. She knew better than anyone that he was humoring them.

Lily ate too much and fell asleep on the couch two minutes after getting up to play. It made all three of them exchange smiles. 

Amelia ordered Richie to do the dishes because she had helped with breakfast and therefore already completed her chores. He obliged with a bow and flourish that almost knocked a glass off of the table. It felt all too much like a dream.

After cleaning, everything got a bit hectic. He had to get both girls ready for their overnight stay at their friends' houses while Eddie took stupid photos and laughed about his "floundering about". Richie was pretty sure that it was retribution for yesterday evening.

Amelia was running around looking for her favorite hoody and Lily was cranky because Richie woke her from her nap. There were bags that needed packing, toothbrushes to be located, plushies that had to be kissed goodbye.

The doorbell rang. Richie cursed. He was currently elbow deep in the toilet bowl fishing out Lily's toothpaste that he had accidentally dropped, while his daughter was wailing and hitting his back with her favorite plushie.

He rolled his eyes, washed his hands and lifted Lily up into his hip. All in a matter of seconds. 

"Shhh, bug." He rubbed her back. "It's okay. I'll buy you new toothpaste, I promise."

He bounced her slightly while walking down the stairs. Kissed her hair.

"Bu-hut strawberry!"

"Yes, strawberry."

Her little fingers dug into his back. Almost painfully so.

They finally reached the first floor and Richie couldn't believe his eyes. Eddie was standing in the open front door, talking to Amelia's friend Angel. Angel who on a good day wouldn't even look Richie in the eyes. 

Amelia came clattering down the stairs behind him. She was carrying her backpack in one hand, dragging a fully packed duffle bag behind her. 

At the sight of Angel giggling at one of Eddie's probably horrible jokes, Amelia stopped. She looked at Richie with wide eyes. He could only shrug, adjusting Lily on his hips.

"He doesn't seem like a threat," Richie whispered. 

Right at that moment, Eddie turned around. Richie smiled innocently what made the other man squint at him.

Amelia rolled her eyes at them and pulled her friend into a bear hug. Squeezing until Angel started spluttering in protest. 

"I'm so looking forward to this," she told Angel in a low, conspiratorial tone.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Richie said.

"You're disgusting, I wouldn't do half the things you do!"

Richie gave her a thumbs up. "I raised you well."

She came back to Richie to give him and Lily a hug goodbye.

"I'll text you tonight when we get home, so don't worry too much!"

Richie needed both hands to hold Lily, otherwise he would have tousled her hair. "Call me if anything is wrong. You know-"

"No judgement in this house!" She nodded. "I know, I know."

"Ami, hug please!" Lily stretched her arms out and Richie let Amelia take her out of his arms.

Eddie awwed quietly. When Richie looked up, he was filming them.

Shortly thereafter, Amelia and Angel had driven off and Richie got to packing the last of Lily's things. She was blessedly busy telling Eddie the story of how Snowy the Sloth, her favorite plushie, had once gotten lost in the neighbor's front yard. Richie had to wash it twice until the smell had become bearable.

He texted Sam's mother that Lily would need some toothpaste. A few seconds later he got a reply. It made him sigh and roll his eyes.

"Look at this." He held his phone up so Eddie could see.

Eddie frowned. "One until two lunch. Two until five Franklin Canyon - picnic. At six back at home. Dinner. Board games. Bedtime eight fifteen?" Eddie raised his eyebrows. "What is this? Your date plan? I think it's a bit presumptuous of you to expect to have your date in bed by eight fifteen."

"Yes Eddie. I usually charm my dates with board games and early bedtimes."

"Board games are great!"

Richie threw his hands up. "You're old!"

"You're older!"

"But I'm cool-old, sh-shunosaurus!" Richie glowered, hopefully getting the intended _shitface_ across without words.

Lily cackled. "I want to be a Stegosaurus! They're awesome!"

Eddie kept a straight face for a few seconds before the laughter burst out of him. Richie tried - he really did. In the end he couldn't help it. He joined in, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes.

"I don't think it's that much overkill," Eddie said when they had all calmed down enough to hold a normal conversation. "Did she tell you what they'd eat? Does Lily have allergies?"

Richie should have known that Eddie would appreciate over-planning and nutritional details. Erin, Sam's mother, didn't disappoint. She sent a detailed meal plan just as Eddie finished talking.

"I can't eat fishies," Lily explained to Eddie.

"You can, you just don't like to. That's a difference." Richie gave her a gentle pat on the head. "You are slightly lactose intolerant, so we try to stay away from milk, yogurt and soft cheese."

Lily nodded. "No lacshmose! Lacshmose is bad!"

Richie knew she could say it right. Hell, the kid knew over 30 dinosaurs by heart.

"Amelia has no allergies," he said, grabbing Lily's stuff and herding them all towards the exit. "But she's vegetarian since she was nine. Vegan since last December."

Eddie just grinned at him, his eyes sparking snark. 

Richie pointed at him warningly. "Open your mouth and you're sitting in the back!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> My live is pretty hectic rn (it's Christmas time so no surprises there) but sitting down and writing this chapter made me smile and relax a bit.
> 
> Remember to take a deep breath every now and then. You can do this!


	6. The Trashmouth Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Loser's Club finally reunites.
> 
>   
~Eddie POV~

They arrived at the airport just in time for Stan's arrival. While Richie was busy finagling his ridiculous sign out of its pink glitter case, Eddie tried to play it cool and act like he didn't know him.

By the time Eddie caught sight of Stan's curly hair, they were standing a few feet and people apart. Richie had very obviously seen the other man too. He held the 'Stan the Man' sign higher, bouncing on his heels excitedly.

"Richie." Stanley smiled one of his long-suffering smiles. "I thought Eddie…"

That was all Richie allowed him to say before he swept him into a bone crushing hug. Eddie gave a little wave when Stan's bulging eyes met his.

"Lily made you this drawing." Richie let Stan escape out of his vice grip to pull another piece of paper out of the pink glitter abyss. "She made one for all of the Losers. I promised her, you would put it up on your fridge. Cute, ain't she, my darlin'?"

Obviously overwhelmed, Stan took the drawing that Eddie knew to display a crude group portrait of the Loser's Club. With something like a dog in the corner. It was kind of adorable. Especially because all that Lily knew of the group were Richie's stories and a few photos.

"Uhm," made Stan. He did seem touched if also a little thrown.

Eddie boxed Richie out of the way and the lanky man went stumbling to the side, flailing and cursing. 

"Hey Stan."

"Eddie!"

Their hug was a little awkward. At least until Richie decided to join and it got really awkward.

"Get off, you fucktard!"

"Uff, Eds. Your elbows are still so freaking pointy what the fuck."

"Don't call me Eds, shithead!"

"Aww come on, Spaghetti-man! We both know you love it! Don't repress, destress!"

Eddie flipped him off. "Eat shit, Trashmouth!"

Stan sighed. "It's like no time has passed with you two."

"I grew another few inches since you last saw me, Stanley, my man." Richie waggled his eyebrows. "if you know what I mean."

Eddie rolled his eyes. "So did your forehead."

Richie gasped. "Eddie! That hurt! Don't go trampling on my sensitive feelings!"

"Guys!" Stanley held up a placating hand. "How about not screaming insults at one another in front of an audience? Aren't you a person of public interest now Richie? What if this gets uploaded?"

They grumbled.

"Okay. So. Where did you park?"

The big reunion party in Bill's fucking mansion kicked off with lots of hugs and laughter and embarrassing stories. They all knew way too much about the other's lives. It was great. 

They drank expensive wine and whiskey. Richie distributed Lily's drawings and took photos of the people with them. Gushing about his daughter. Bev constantly had a lollipop hanging out of her mouth because she stopped smoking and needed something to 'distract her from the urges'. Ben stared at her adoringly, like he'd always had. Bill and Mike were talking about traveling to Morocco together. Former was planning another book, something new. Different genre.

Everybody was talking. About their plans, the future. Stories from the past. Memories that had resurfaced in the last few weeks.

Food was ordered. Ethiopian. They were already tipsy when it finally arrived.

Bill started a speech. "It is great that we could all find the time to gather here together. As we're all well aware tomorrow-"

Stan dinged his glass with his fork, effectively cutting Bill off.

"I'm sorry, Big Bill." He stood up from his seat at the table, smoothed his pristine shirt down. "But before we get into the Trashmouth Celebration I wanted to officially say thank you to all of you for being there for me in the last few months. It- it wasn't easy. But knowing you didn't hold it against me. That I'm still welcome. It really helps. So thank you. I'm glad to be here."

Bev was the first to leap up and pull him into a hug. Eddie could hear her whisper to Stan, knew she had the right words.

"There is more." Stanley smiled, one arm still slung around Beverly's shoulders. "My wife and I have decided to relocate. In light of recent events it seemed appropriate to move somewhere further south, closer to my friends and to a city she adores. We have decided on San Francisco."

A cheer made its round, everybody lifting their glasses in a toast.

"Oh, and," Stanley blushed, his eyes sparkling, "we're expecting."

It took almost ten minutes for the excitement to die down again. Eddie couldn't stop smiling. He felt elated. High. Even though he had sworn off the alcohol for the evening because he was driving. 

Still. He hadn't felt this happy, this balanced in forever. If ever. Memories came knocking but they were vage, washed out. Barley glimpses. 

He concentrated on the present. Richie's persistent voice.

"My dear people!" Richie clutched his heart. "I am sobbing. It's all grand and emotional. But the food is getting cold. Let us feats!"

Maybe half an hour before midnight Richie's phone dinged. Eddie looked over and horrifyingly he knew exactly what the other man was looking at.

Amelia had sent him a screenshot. Richie ogled at his phone. His mouth gaping open.

With a curse, Eddie jumped. "Fuck! Hell no! No! Richie delete your fucking brain! I don't want to hear it!"

Richie grabbed his phone before Eddie could reach it. "I didn't know you could smile like this."

He zoomed in on Eddie's face, grinning at them from the cover of his cookbook.

"Really?" Eddie was a bit stumped. This is what Richie concentrated on?

"'_How To: Not Die - In 10 Easy Steps_'. Charming, Eds."

"Fuck off."

Richie's phone dinged again. 

"She already ordered it." He grinned. "Good girl. Daughter after my own heart."

Suddenly, Eddie was glad that Bill had dimmed the lights for them to watch Mike's travel videos. His cheeks were burning hot.

Bev shushed them, so she could listen to the foreign man in the video speak some kind of language none of them understood. Thankfully, nobody had been paying them any attention. Too used to their quarrels or too invested in Mike's traveling. Eddie didn't care. He was plenty grateful though. Obviously, it wouldn't take long for them all to own a copy of that book but not tonight. They didn't need to know tonight.

Midnight rolled around. They lit sparklers on the balcony and Eddie couldn't help but stare at their reflection in Richie's glasses.

Amelia called to wish her Dad a Happy Birthday while Bill was pulling the cake out of his ridiculous fridge. Richie laughed and snorted and nodded to whatever she had to say. Looking carefree. Happy.

Eddie was overwhelmed with the urge to hug him. Just wrap him up, hold him close. Bury his nose in clothes that smelled like lemongrass and Richie's laundry detergent.

Bev cleared her throat very, very close to Eddie's ear. He jumped. She totally caught him staring.

He ducked away. Fled towards Bill and the cake. 

It wouldn't be them if someone didn't end up with cake all over their face. Or in this case multiple someones. 

It was late. Probably closer to sunrise then to midnight by now.

Stan had went to bed in Bill's guest bedroom hours ago, exhausted from the flight. For all Eddie knew, Bill and Mike were still in the kitchen, snacking on leftovers and discussing Morocco. Bev and Ben had fallen asleep on the sofa, nothing more than a heap of cuddling limbs beneath a soft blanket.

Eddie shivered slightly in the cold night air. Richie next to him was leaning against the railing of the balcony, looking out at the lights of the city. From up here LA seemed almost serene.

"Eddie?" 

"Hmm?"

Richie looked at him. The silence stretched. Eddie held his breath, suddenly tense.

"Do- do you have a tissue? I'm pretty sure, I've still got cream in my ears? Itches like fucking hell."

With a sigh, Eddie retrieved a tissue. 

"Reminds me off when we were sixteen and the fucking chemistry experiment exploded into my face." Richie chuckled. "Same itchy feeling."

Eddie watched him roughly clean his ears. "I was afraid your face would melt off."

"Nah, the acid wasn't that concentrated." 

"You had to go to the hospital."

Richie stilled. "Right. I forgot."

"My mom wouldn't let me visit you. I had to sneak out."

"You did that all the time."

Eddie hummed. "Only to hang out with you."

"Aww, Eds-"

"Don't-"

They got interrupted by 'Highway to Hell' by AC/DC. Richie's phone.

He immediately picked up. "Ami?"

"_Don't freak out, Dad._" 

Eddie could hear her clearly. It made him notice how close they were standing. Elbow to elbow. Sharing body heat.

"_I'm fine. I promise. But could you maybe come and get me? I- I broke my arm. It's stupid._" She laughed wetly, without humor. Sniffled.

Richie tensed. "I'm on my way, honey. Where are you?"

"_The ER._"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stan is precious and must be protected at all costs!
> 
> Also Happy New Year! 
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Have a lovely day/night!


	7. Angel's Dad José

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new player enters the field and Eddie really doesn't approve.
> 
> ~still Eddie POV~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the lovely comments and kudos and your general awesomeness!! I hope you enjoy the chapter~

Richie barely waited for Eddie to pull into the parking spot before jumping out of the car. Eddie floundered, dropped the car keys. Cursed.

When he resurfaced from beneath the car, Richie was already striding towards the entrance of the ER. To his surprise the man stopped, turned around.

"Where the fuck 're you staying at, Eduardo? Ándale!"

Eddie jogged to catch up, almost forgot to lock the car.

"Jeez, Eds. I know my ass is great and all but we're really in a rush here."

Eddie ignored him, gave him a shove towards the doors.

"Shut it! Your daughter is waiting."

Ami jumped up as soon as she saw them rushing in. Cringed in pain, as she apparently forgot about the broken limb. Her eyes watered.

"Dad!"

Richie went in for a hug but aborted halfway. 

"How is the pain? Why aren't you being treated yet? What happened? Are you okay? Besides the broken arm? Did you hurt anything else? What happened?"

Richie was immediately fussing over his daughter, getting her to sit back down, rubbing her back, patting her head.

A bear of a man got up to shake Eddie's hand. "You must be Eddie. The girls couldn't stop talking about you the whole evening."

Eddie eyed the proffered hand. It was massive. Calloused. Dirt under the nails.

"I'm Angel's Dad, José."

The handshake was strong but not crushing. Eddie was still shocked to see his whole hand engulfed like that. 

They only had to wait for another couple of minutes or so until Amelia was up. Richie getting more and more agitated with every passing second. He was starting to make a ruckus, which led to other patients shooting them irritated looks.

And then there was José. He got on Eddie's nerves so fucking much. Even though it was fucking late at night he was smiling and touching Richie and telling him everything would be alright and calling him Richard. Fucking Richard.

Angel was all wide eyed worry. Looking pale. 

"What happened?" Eddie asked when Richie and Amelia disappeared with the nurse.

Angel shrugged, shoulders drawing in slightly. Embarrassed.

"We were dancing."

"Dancing?" he echoed.

"Yeah, we're trying to learn this choreo from a music video. And Ami just kinda- you know… she maybe tried to do one of the moves while going down the stairs?"

Eddie tried really hard to not guffaw. It reminded him of Richie. That was definitely something that Richie would manage to do as well. Break something because he couldn't go down the stairs like a normal person.

"It was horrifying." Angel shuddered.

Eddie immediately felt bad for almost laughing.

"She wouldn't stop giggling. And I totally heard her arm breaking. But she didn't stop giggling."

"She was in shock." José put an arm around Angel, pulled them close.

Eddie diverted his eyes. Feeling slightly out of place.

Richie returned at some point, told them it would still be a while. That they should leave, go home, get some sleep. José nodded, promised to bring over Amelia's stuff in the afternoon. Angel was already half asleep on his shoulder.

Eddie insisted on staying. Even though Richie said they would just get an Uber back home. Even though he hated hospitals and all their germs. Even though the sun was rising already.

He stayed and fell asleep on the uncomfortable chair. Dreamed of screams, of the house on 29 Neibolt Street. Of falling through the floor. It was there. The fear. Richie. The asshole.

When he woke to Richie's phone in his face and Amelia high on painkillers he kinda wished he had gone home earlier. He flipped them off but the annoyance was only superficial. Not that he would ever admit that out loud.

After leaving the hospital they went and got fatty, deep fried drive-through fast food. Squinted at the brightness of the day together. It was kind of great in a weird way.

Back at the house Amelia gave Eddie a hug before going to bed and it totally caught him off-guard. Richie laughed at his bug-eyed expression. Pinched his cheek.

"So cute, Eds."

Eddie batted him away. "Shaddup!"

They were both too tired to properly argue. Yawning Eddie flopped onto the sectional. It was a great deal more comfortable than the hospital chairs.

Somehow they ended up sprawled all over the upholstery, Eddie's feet in Richie's lap and a Netflix cooking show on the huge flat screen. It didn't take long for Eddie's eyes to droop.

It was way past noon when Eddie woke up to an obnoxious melody. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was. Afternoon sunlight filled the room, gave everything an almost ethereal feel.

The melody started up again and Richie groaned. Eddie almost flinched. Richie. Richie who had one warm hand wrapped around Eddie's ankle, his fingers lax. He was still sleeping.

The doorbell went off again and this time Eddie scrambled up, kicking Richie in the process. Totally by accident. On the way to the door, he could hear the other man complaining about the unloving treatment. It made him chuckle.

Eddie opened the door, only to be immediately confronted with José's smarmy smile. A smile that dimmed down as soon as he saw it wasn't Richie.

Eddie contemplated how rude he could be. Would it be too much to only grunt out a hello?

"Eddie." José seemed surprised. "How are you?"

Eddie held out his hand for Amelia's bags that the burly man had slung over his shoulders.

"I'm fine, thank you. How is Angel?"

"She's still sleeping." The man handed the bags over, his eyes wandering over Eddie's shoulder. "Where is Richard?"

Obviously that was the moment Richie decided to show his stupid face. Eddie could hear him shuffle around the corner.

"Hey José." Richie gave Eddie a pat on the shoulder.

With a sigh Eddie grabbed Amelia's bags tighter and walked back into the house. He could hear them talking about Amelia and how brave she had been. Then they started reminiscing about other trouble their kids had gotten into in the past and Eddie couldn't help but grit his teeth. 

When Richie invited José inside for some coffee, he made his way upstairs. Trudging to his room, after he had deposited Amelia's bags in front of her door. A shower sounded like a good choice right now. Maybe José was gone until he was done.

To Eddie's delight he returned back downstairs to see Amelia sitting on one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter. She gave him a warm, if slightly tired smile.

"Can I get you anything?"

"I'd kill for some waffles."

He had Amelia set up with her painkillers and some tea in no time. She looked beat, with dark circles under the eyes, her hair a floppy mess.

"You can make some pretty awesome batter with almond milk," he told her, mixing in the oat milk they had had in the fridge. "Ground almonds are a nice touch as well."

When he looked up, Amelia was taking notes on her phone. 

"We should buy some more dates," she muttered. "Dates, almond milk, ground almonds… What else?"

Together they compiled a shopping list for the next day while the batter was in the iron. And then they dug into the still steaming waffles. Eddie had warmed up some frozen berries and all in all he was pretty happy with how it turned out. 

The front door burst open when Eddie started cleaning up the mess of flour and red sauce stains.

"I'm back!" Lily ran into the house, a red cape fluttering behind her back. "Did you miss me?"

Richie followed her with an indulgent smile. They locked eyes and Eddie couldn't help but smile as well. 

Lifting one arm, Richie held up a small bag. "I got a decent pen so we can all sign Ami's cast."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. I was hungry when I wrote the last part.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Have a great day/night!


	8. Fuck You Too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old memories creep up. But like in a good way.
> 
> ~Richie POV~

Originally, they had planned to go out for dinner but now nobody really felt like it. Amelia was still pale and Eddie looked about as tired as Richie felt. Lily was the only one bouncing around, demanding attention.

At some point in the evening the Loser's would drop by for a bit. It was Stan's last evening. He had an early flight on Monday. Besides that it was family time. With Eddie.

Eddie who was currently watching a YouTube tutorial on how to cornrow. It made Richie weirdly emotional. Lily sat next to him on the sofa, pointing things out that the girl in the video was explaining wrongly. In Lily's opinion.

"Richie, what is a good synonym for 'walk'?"

"Skedaddle?"

A long groan was his answer. "Why did I even ask?"

"What are you doing?" Richie slowly edged closer to Amelia who sat at the dining table with her laptop open in front of her.

"What does it look like?"

Rolling his eyes, Richie put up his hands in defeat. "Sorry for showing interest in your hobbies."

Amelia sighed. "Don't be so overdramatic! I'm writing. Obviously."

"Yeah, but what?"

"If you really must know; it's your eulogy. Because I'm going to kill you for being too nosy."

Turning her laptop so it faced Richie, Amelia pointed out a paragraph. "This is where I start to cry."

Richie couldn't help but chuckle. There was a distinct sparkle in Amelia's eyes. Playful sarcasm oozing out of her every pore.

"Is it the story you're co-writing with Angel?"

Amelia nodded. "I'm kinda stuck."

"Do you want some hot cocoa?"

"Ohmygod, yes please! You're the best!"

Richie ruffled her hair. "Does anybody else want hot cocoa?"

The Losers brought over dinner. It was a bit later than Richie liked, especially because tomorrow was a Monday and he already knew it would be hell to get Lily to bed with guests here. But his girls had been adamant about getting to know his childhood friends. He just had to mentally prepare himself for the exhausted rebellion of the coming morning.

Right now, he enjoyed the sight of Mike swirling a squealing Lily through the air. She had taken to the man so quickly it made Eddie pout. 

Amelia was talking with Bev and Bill and the way they all laughed, Richie was pretty sure they were sharing embarrassing stories about him. His daughter seemed delighted, her eyes glinting dangerously. With a snort, she glanced at Richie. Instead of lingering, her eyes darted to Eddie. 

Eddie, who was currently preparing dessert with Stan. He didn't wear his apron. Something that made Richie want to pout.

"Richie!" Amelia called, her eyes at the verge spilling tears of joy and mischief. "Is it true that you almost burned down your house trying to make apple pie? Like how? Is that why you never cook?"

"Hey! That wasn't my fault! It was totally Eddie's fault!"

"No, it wasn't!" Eddie protested. 

"It was your birthday. You said you wanted apple pie but your Mom didn't allow it. Also, you totally distracted me!"

"I didn't! No, I remember this! It was your fault! You kis-" _sed me._

Richie distantly heard someone gasp. Maybe it was he himself.

He remembered. Remembered them squabbling in the living room, fighting over the remote. His parents off to some kind of conference, the remaining Losers set to arrive for Eddie's birthday party in a few minutes. One week before Eddie would move because Mrs. K had had enough. One week before Richie would lose his best friend.

He remembered. The desperation. The jokes he'd tried to make that had fallen flat. The encroaching feeling of loss. 

He remembered the kiss. Eddie's eyes, huge and surprised.

He remembered flailing, trying to find an excuse. Any excuse.

He also remembered them making out. 

"Oh my God." Eddie's voice seemed overly loud in the deafening silence that permeated the room. "You kissed me."

His eyes were just as large as back then. Richie could only gape.

They had been clumsy, desperate, horny. Teenagers.

"Oh my God," Eddie repeats. "You cried."

"You were leaving." Richie's answer wasn't more than a mumble.

They had kissed. Kissed. Eddie had kissed him.

Eddie's eyes widened. Became impossibly large. "We had s-"

"Ohmygod, Eddie! Shaddup!" Richie leaped forward, slapping his hand over the other man's mouth.

They stared at each other.

"Oh shit," Amelia whispered. "Ew, gross."

"Why don't we go out and get a bit of fresh air?" Out of the corner of his eye, Richie could see Mike picking up Lily and shooing everybody out of the room. "Let's go, people! Amelia? Come on, give them some space."

"Ami said a bad word," Richie could hear Lily complain before the door to the garden closed behind the Losers and his daughters.

Taking his hand away from Eddie's mouth, Richie felt one hundred percent overwhelmed. He slouched against the kitchen island. Eddie started stirring the pudding again. It smelled like it had already burned.

"Shit." He couldn't stop staring at Eddie. His mind reeling. "I need a drink."

Realizing the pudding couldn't be salvaged, Eddie poured it down the drain. He snuck a glance at Richie.

"You look like your brain melted."

Richie snorted. "Yeah, no shit."

"They'll never let us live this down."

They both groaned.

"I can't believe I didn't remember." Richie takes off his glasses to rub his eyes.

"Me neither."

"Hey, at least we can now rest assured that your Mom didn't pop my cherry."

"Oh, I swear to God, Richie! Fuck off!" Eddie pulled a face, trying to hide his smile. "You're disgusting!"

"Oh, Eds, don't be such a prude!"

"Don't call me Eds!"

The familiar argument lifted a weight off Richie's heart. He was starting to feel ridiculously giddy.

"So dessert? We still have a few tubs of ice cream from Ami's last exam season."

They let everybody back inside and Richie expended a lot of energy in ignoring all the knowing looks. Lily was complaining about the cold, totally obvious to the ongoings. 

Scooping up his daughter, Richie avoided dealing with his friends. Or Amelia, who was staring at him with sympathetic eyes.

The Losers did a great job in bringing back the easy-going, relaxed atmosphere and Richie felt eternally grateful. They joked, planned their next get-together. 

At some point, Bev and Ben moved to the sectional, Stanley soon following. Richie could hear them talking about Stan's move to San Francisco.

Bill and Mike patiently answered all of Amelia's questions about writing and traveling. They seemed happy to satisfy her curiosity. Mike boasting about all the places he had already seen, and his plans for future travels, while Bill readily picked apart his novels with her, criticising his own works harshly.

"Did she fall asleep?"

Richie looked up at Eddie. "Mhmm, yes. Never would have thought that would happen with all the sugar and people and stuff."

Eddie softly ran his fingers over Lily's hair, smiling when she burrowed further into Richie's chest.

"She's adorable." They both looked up at Mike's words. "Still can't believe you were the first one to have kids, Trashmouth."

Richie smiled, rearranged Lily on his lap. "Best thing to ever happen to me."

Mike seemed surprised at his honest answer. Then he smiled, all warm and bright.

Later, after everyone had left and both girls were in bed, Richie stepped into the kitchen. Eddie was finishing up on the dishes, humming along to the soft music from the sound system.

"Hey." He leaned against the counter next to Eddie.

"Hey." The smile made Richie's breath hitch. 

"So, uh-" Richie rapped his fingers against the stone of the countertop. "I just- I just wanted to be sure you knew that you can stay. Here. With us. For however long. Just- so you know."

Eddie stopped for a second, before he continued cleaning the last bowl. The urge to make a joke and disrupt the intensity of the situation became almost unbearable. But Richie needed Eddie to know that he was serious.

"I appreciate it, Rich." Eddie closed the dishwasher, turned to look at Richie. "Thank you. But your Mom already offered and like, what can I say."

Richie almost choked on his surprised laughter. "Fuck you, Spaghetti-man."

"Fuck you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, it's been a while. All I can say is exams and then I got hella sick.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Way to drop a bombshell right?
> 
> Domestic fluff gives me life!!


	9. It's Called Green Tea, Fuckface

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie decides to stay. 
> 
> ~Eddie POV~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's starting, guys! The Slow Burn is starting to burn!!

Eddie slept in. Ignoring that he theoretically had a flight booked for 1 PM. He didn’t want to leave. Staying with Richie and the girls was kind of great. Made him feel more alive, more awake than in ages. 

Richie who was still the same asshole but also accepted his health-food obsession with a smile and sometimes looked at him out of the corner of his eye with a calculating expression that made Eddie squirm on the inside. Richie who had matured, was a father, a role model to his girls.

Eddie stretched languidly. Allowed himself to once again loose himself in the memories uncovered last night. They had kept him up until long past midnight. 

There was the kiss. The first of many they had shared in a week that seemed to stretch on forever and last only for the blink of an eye, both. He remembered Richie’s firm lips, how their noses had collided. Never before had he seen Richie as vulnerable, as open. His eyes impossibly big behind his glasses. Asking. Offering. Nervous and afraid.

God, they had kissed so much. Every opportunity they got. Had made out on Richie’s bed for hours. Fumbling, inexperienced. Desperate for more time.

Eddie blinked at the ceiling. Myra wanted to creep into his thoughts. There was a time in the beginning where she had made him feel safe and at home. But never anything like...

Richie had been his first love.

Eddie sat up in a half-assed attempt to calm his sputtering heart.

He had been in love with Richie. Full on, gut wrenching love. And looking back there was no way to pinpoint when it had started. Mostly because he had categorized it first as an intense friendship and then a crush. A crush he hadn’t allowed himself to regard as anything but sick fascination. Gay wasn’t really a word you should even think about in Derry, Maine back then.

Still, looking back it was embarrassing how infatuated he had been. He distinctly remembered Richie coming back from a vacation with his family with new, more stylish glasses. They had changed his whole face and Eddie had suddenly been unable to stop staring. It had led to a slew of lewd comments from the other boy. Comments that made Eddie blush and scramble away to a safe distance. They had been maybe fifteen. If that.

Pushing the memories away, Eddie finally got up. He felt flustered, unsettled. Nevertheless, there was no way he was going to leave LA today. It was too late for that anyway. And he really didn’t want to. He wanted to stay.

After a shower and shave, he made his way downstairs. Richie was nowhere to be seen. Looking around in the open-plan downstairs, Eddie contemplated how at home he was allowed to make himself. Now that he was staying longer. All the herbs and fresh produce in the kitchen that he had bought made him smile ruefully. He had pretty much conquered the space. His subconscious obviously never planning on actually leaving after only a few days.

The microwave told him it was already 10:30. Way past the time he normally got up. For once he didn’t care.

Instead, he cooked up some oatmeal, brewed a cup of green tea and finally settled at the dinner table. The weather outside was grey, the clouds heavy with rain. Besides the humming of the fridge there wasn’t really any sound. The house peacefully quiet.

Maybe he’d make soup for dinner. Something a bit creamy.

Being able to cook for someone again was great. Even more so because the Toziers were greatly appreciative. The kids at least. 

“No! Tammy listen-“ 

The front door opened, was shoved closed with more force than strictly necessary. Eddie looked up from his steaming tea to watch a rumpled Richie stumble into the room. He was trying to one-handedly pull off his jacket while staying on the phone.

“I can’t just leave town! My spawn would destroy the house. I need to make arrangements.”

Eddie watched Richie hobble, lose balance and almost crash into the sharp edge of the kitchen counter.

“Yeah, I know. But Amelia has a presentation on Wednesday and I promised I’d help her.”

Eddie got up and ambled over to the kitchen. It took a moment for Richie to notice his presence, his eyes faraway and distracted. With a gesture, Eddie motioned for Richie to turn around, helped him ease out of the jacket. 

“What? No, it’s about our healthcare system.”

Richie mouthed a ‘_Thanks_’ at Eddie, moving to lift himself up onto the counter. Eddie pulled him back down again, glaring.

Richie rolled his eyes at him. “Yeah, she’s pretty on point. Teacher’s kind of a dick though, so I hope it’s not so controversial that he feels threatened in his manhood.”

After putting the jacket away, Eddie returned to his breakfast. Richie had taken a seat across from him. 

“Anyways, regarding the gigs. I’ll think about it. Just send me the details.”

To his shock, Eddie found Richie stealing his tea and taking a sip. It only took a moment for the man to pull a disgusted face.

“This tastes horrible! What the fuck, Eds?”

It was Eddies turn to roll his eyes. “It’s called Green Tea, Fuckface. Since your taste buds stopped developing when you were twelve, I’m not surprised you are unable to appreciate its distinguished flavor.”

Richie flipped him off. “Sorry, Tammy.” 

Eddie shoved the last bit of oatmeal in his mouth before Richie could get any more stupid ideas and reclaimed his mug. 

“Yeah, talk to you soon.”

“Sooo?” he said, when Richie hung up.

“My agent.” Richie eyed his now empty bowl longingly. “She said something opened up next week and they’d pay good money to squeeze me in. It’s in Texas though. Two shows. Tuesday and Thursday.”

Eddie scoffed. “Who goes to Comedy Shows on week nights?”

Ignoring him, Richie snatched his cup again. After eying the liquid suspiciously, he took another sip. Pulled a face again.

“Are you stupid?” Eddie wanted to know exasperatedly. “It didn’t change its taste over the last few seconds.”

“I live to annoy you, Eddie-Spaghetti.”

Even though they both had work to do, they ended up spread out on the sectional watching _Back to the Future_. They had been to the movies together to watch the third one back in 1990. Just the two of them. Eddie had been ridiculously excited.

Pressing his feet against Richie’s thigh had initially been unintentional. Now, he couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy Richie’s warmth. Even more so, when Richie wrapped his fingers loosely around Eddie’s ankle, keeping him in place. It cost Eddie a lot of concentration to stay focused on the TV. 

Watching movies with Richie was just as fun as he remembered. He was trash talking the characters nonstop, commenting on outfits and set-decoration, making stupid jokes. It took at while but eventually, Eddie chimed in. Reprimanding Richie or going along with the joke, playing it up until they were both giggling like teenagers. 

Richie’s fingers wandered up, his hand coming to a rest on Eddie’s calf. Underneath the sweats he had pulled on after his shower. It made his whole leg tingle.

“Rich?” Eddie fumbled with the fluffy blanket Richie had spread over them both. It was only March after all, the cool temperatures from outside bleeding into the huge space of the living room.

Richie glanced at him, still smiling from his last terrible joke that had left Eddie huffing and puffing, trying to conceal his laughter at the blunt offensiveness of the nonsense Richie had sprouted.

“I could, you know, watch the kids next week. If you don’t find anyone or like- I don’t know. Just. I wouldn’t mind. Thought I’d offer.”

Richie eyed him with a sudden intensity that made Eddie want to pull away. Calculating. It made him remember that Richie was smarter than he let on.

“You are aware that you’re offering to watch Satan’s Spawn, Eduardo?”

“And you do realize that you’re not Satan, right? Ricardo?”

A sudden tug on his calf and Eddie was a flailing mess, his head sliding from the armrest and thumping onto the upholstery.

“Hey! What the fuck!” His legs were now on Richie’s lap but he still tried kicking him in retaliation. 

Their eyes met. Eddie froze. 

Richie’s eyes were dark. Dangerous. Predatory.

Swallowing, Eddie tried to flee back up the sofa. No chance. Richie’s hand was warm and firm on his leg.

“Ricardo?” he echoed, his voice shaking with laughter. And something else. Something more.

“Um.” Eddie didn’t know what to say. It had just slipped out. No way had he expected a reaction like this.

An even broader grin started spreading across Richie’s face.

“Oh, shut up!” Eddie finally found a decent angle and kicked Richie in the stomach. Okay, nudged. There wasn’t really a lot of force behind it.

Richie’s fingers dug into his skin, making Eddie shudder slightly. They were really close like this. Eddie halfway sprawled across Richie’s lap.

“You’re such an ass,” Eddie mumbled, resolutely turning back towards the TV. 

“Why, thank you for noticing!” Richie slipped into his English Gentleman Voice. “It is a quite exquisite part of my dashing exterior if I do say so myself.”

Eddie tried to hide his answering smile in the blanket, definitely not giving Richie that satisfaction. He would never stop.

For a few minutes, they actually watched the movie again. Eddie shifting a few times, trying to find a comfortable position. His neck was starting to stiffen up, with him lying on his back.

“You mean it?” Richie asked as the credits started rolling, Netflix already offering up new movies for them to watch.

“What?”

“Staying with the kids next week. I would probably fly out on Tuesday, catch an early flight back Friday morning.”

“What about Ami’s presentation?”

“We can work on it during the weekend.”

Eddie hummed, grabbing the remote to stop the next thing from playing. “I don’t really know anything about kids though. What if I accidentally kill them? Oh God, Richie. What if I-“

“Hey,” Richie cut him off. “It’ll be fine. They’re great kids. And I’ll give you Mrs. Alvarez number. She normally watches them when I’m gone. The girls love her. It’s just- she’s currently in New Mexico, staying with her daughter.”

“Yeah.” Eddie tried not to feel hurt that he hadn’t been Richie’s first choice. God, he’d only met the girls a few days ago. And Richie had no idea, how long Eddie was planning on staying. Not that Eddie knew that either.

Also, he really, really didn’t know anything about kids. He had kind of made peace with never having children.

“Actually, I think I’m really not qualified.” Eddie shuffled backwards a bit, pulling his legs from Richie’s lap. Sitting up. This was definitely a conversation you had to be upright for.

“They already adore you and Amelia can help you with Lily.” Richie shrugged like it was no big deal.

“Rich,” Eddie tried to protest.

“No take-backs~” Richie stood up, effectively ending the conversation. The singsong in his voice made Eddie want to kick him. For real this time.

“I hate you!”

Stretching, Richie grinned his shit-eating grin at him. “Aw, Eds. Relax. Children can smell fear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, obviously I have no idea how the Comedy business works. So this is me improvising.
> 
> I hope you're all healthy and just generally in a decent place (with the whole Virus-Pandemic-Quarantine thing going on). Anyways, this was meant as a distraction for the both of us. Thank you for reading! It is greatly appreciated!
> 
> Back to the story: No kids this chapter, just good old-fashioned one on one time. Hopefully, that's okay with you;)  
Anyone else absolutely in love with the idea of Eddie calling Richie "Ricardo"?


	10. The King of Selective Hearing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily has a bad day at school.
> 
> ~POV Eddie~

Eddie actually managed to do some work for his online job before the girls returned from school. Lily stormed into the room, throwing her bag against the back of the sofa.

“I hate school! I’m never going again!” Her small body was vibrating with emotion, her eyes red from crying. “Never!”

Amelia ducked into the kitchen, burying her head in the fridge. 

“Bug, please just tell me what happened.” Richie voice was gentle, worried. There was a slight edge to it though that told Eddie he wasn’t asking for the first time.

Lily started crying again. Loudly. 

Saving his work, Eddie slowly closed his Laptop. Unsure what he should do, he just stayed glued to his chair.

Richie swooped Lily up into a hug before she could dramatically drop to the floor. Violent hiccups broke through her wailing rhythmically. 

“Shh, I’ve got you,” Richie whispered, carrying his daughter to the sofa. “It’s okay, bug. I’ve got you.”

With wide eyes, Eddie looked towards the kitchen. Amelia just shrugged, munching on a celery stick. It seemed like a nervous habit.

The crying was unbearable. Eddie felt like fleeing the room. It hurt to hear Lily in such distress. Fleeing was cowardly though. Instead he finally got up, zeroing in on Amelia.

“You okay?” he asked quietly. 

She nodded jerkily, chewing on the end of her celery stick. Humming in understanding, Eddie sidestepped her and filled a glass with cool water from the tap.

“Here, bring this to Richie.” He held the glass out for Amelia to grab. 

The teenager didn’t ask. Happy to have a job and be able to help, she dutifully took the water over to her Dad. Eddie set out to make some hot drinks for everybody, just as happy as Amelia to focus on something even remotely helpful.

The crying quieted down after a while but Eddie gave them some more time, puttering around in the kitchen. Eventually, the hiccups stopped and all that was left were Richie’s soft, reassuring words and Lily’s sniffling.

Grabbing a box of tissues from the cabinet, Eddie carried the tray he had found over to the sofas. Richie was slowly rocking Lily. Meanwhile, Amelia had curled into his side, her hand rubbing Lily’s back.

“Hey there,” Eddie whispered.

A warm, grateful smile was his answer. Eddie handed the snot covered man a tissue.

“So, I have a few drinks that need drinking. Would be a grand waste to empty them down the drain, wouldn’t it?” 

Amelia’s lips curled up in amusement. Eddie winked at her.

“This delicious ambrosia is for Amelia.” He offered her a steaming mug filled with fresh peppermint leaves.

Lily stirred, peeking up at him from where she had pressed her face into the hollow of Richie’s throat.

“This liquid gold is for comedians only.” With a flourish, Eddie held out a ‘Best Dad’ mug to Richie. It smelled delicious. Eddie wasn’t really surprised that the one thing Richie liked to splurge on was expensive coffee. 

“But what am I going to do with this?” Picking up the last mug, Eddie sank onto the sofa on Richie’s free side. “To think I made hot cocoa and nobody wants it. I even added marshmallows. Look, Lily, they’re melting.”

The little girl totally fell for it, unsticking her face from her father’s throat and staring at Eddie and the offered drink contemplatively. Her eyes were swollen. Angry red. Snot and tears all over her cheeks. Richie used the chance to gently rub at her face.

“Come on.” Eddie scooted over a bit, patting the cushion he had vacated.

Lily sniffled once more but then, to Eddie surprise, she actually moved off her father’s lap, making grabby hands at the mug. Somehow, Eddie had been pretty sure she would decline. Preferring the safety of Richie’s arms over a sugary drink.

Eddie watched the small family sipping their drinks, feeling like he had accomplished something amazing. When he wanted to get up to maybe get himself a tea or just some water, Lily grabbed his shirt, almost spilling hot cocoa all over the floor and rug.

He petted her head. “Okay, not leaving.”

With a content sigh, she burrowed into his side. Eddie tried not to freeze. It’s just. He didn’t expect…

Richie and Amelia were quietly laughing at him and his panicked expression. He seriously considered flipping them off. 

They left Lily in a cocoon of blankets on the sofa to nap, while Amelia spread out her homework all over the dining table and Richie wandered off to do something or another. For the lack of anything better to do, Eddie started preparing dinner early.

With all the extra time he had, he was definitely going to make croutons. Not the healthiest but delicious. There would be a salad to make up for it. And Eddie had bought this crazy expensive nut mix that included, among others, Brazil nuts as well as macadamia nuts, and pecans. That plus some seeds should do wonders to improve the nutritional value of their dinner.

Amelia groaned and Eddie watched her furiously trying to scratch beneath her cast, while still concentration on the text she was working on. God, he remembered that terrible itching.

“What are you cooking?”

Startled, Eddie flung around, knife held high.

“Oh, wow! Hey!” Richie immediately stepped back, lifting his hands in a placating manner. “Didn mean ta spook ya, mate.”

Eddie rolled his eyes at him but lowered the knife.

“Do you need any help?”

“With what?”

“Dinner?”

Eying the man suspiciously, Eddie tried to figure out what exactly Richie meant by that. “Huh?”

“How may I be of service, MyLord?”

Hesitantly, he pointed towards the ingredients for the salad. “Clean, cut, assemble.”

Richie snorted. “Sure, Spaghetti-Man.”

“Try not to cut yourself?”

Surprisingly, Richie managed just fine. Maybe the veggies he cut up looked a bit mutilated and the lettuce was torn to shreds when Eddie wasn’t looking. No blood though. No blood was good. And Richie seemed to have fun. At one point, Eddie had to stop him from trying to carve a unicorn from one of the carrots.

Lily had woken up and Amelia was half doing her own homework, half helping her sister with hers. There was soft music floating through the air, something Middle Eastern Eddie guessed. Soothing, the singer’s voice almost ethereal.

Eddie watched as Amelia and Lily devolved into giggles about something Lily had said. He could feel an answering smile tugging at his lips, even though he hadn’t been part of the initial joke.

“Adorable, aren’t they?” Richie asked, his shoulder knocking into Eddie’s.

“Obviously.” Eddie returned his attention to the salad dressing he was mixing. “They have to counter your asshole-ness.”

“Hey! I’m charming. The ladies and gents love this!”

Eddie saw Richie gesticulating down at himself out of the corner of his eye. “Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“I’m a machine, Eds. You have no idea.”

“Chu-chu.” Eddie elbowed his way to the sink and started cleaning up a bit. 

“You’re just jealous, Eds. You would love to have all this for yourself!”

There was probably more truth in that than Eddie would like to admit. He felt ridiculously at home with Richie and the girls. Like he belonged. Like he was part of something warm and gentle. Family. And Richie…

“If you’re so much of a sex symbol,” Eddie said, sarcasm dripping from his words, “why don’t you accompany me to the gym tomorrow?”

It was quiet for a bit too long. Looking up, Eddie caught Richie mouthing ‘_sex symbol_’ to himself. 

Richie locked eyes with him, his smile grew lecherous. “Aww, Eddie~”

Berating himself, Eddie shoved the finished salad bowl at Richie. He should have known. Richie had always been the king of selective hearing.

“Lily, Ami!” Eddie turned his back to Richie, completely ignoring the man’s broad smile. “Dinner’s ready.”

His cheeks were warm. He probably should have protested the whole sex-symbol misunderstanding/mishearing thing more. Instead, he would just force Richie to the gym with him. That was bound to instill some respect and humility in the man. 

(Also, maybe Eddie could show off just a little bit.)

When Richie came back from reading Lily a goodnight story, he looked dejected. Eddie watched him pull a bottle of whiskey from a high cabinet shelf and pour two glasses. They settled at the breakfast bar, Richie downing half his glass before even sitting down.

“She’s getting bullied.” Richie said, his voice taut. 

Eddie’s finger clenched around his glass.

“It’s a group of boys. Apparently, they found some of my old stuff on YouTube of something. Lily said, they said only a ‘_fart-brain_’ like me would want a ‘_potato-head_’ like her for a daughter. Fuck Eddie, they told her, I wasn’t really her Dad.”

Eddie swallowed, surprised by the wave of horror and loathing sweeping over him. “What?”

Emptying his glass, Richie growled angrily. “Fucking kids. Stupid fucking kids!”

“You need to go to the principal.” Eddie felt helpless, completely out of his depth. Last week his biggest problem had been how much water was too much water for cacti. And whether he might be allergic to them.

“Dude’s up to his shoulders in one of the boys father’s ass. Some Silicon Valley big shot. He’s not gonna do shit.”

Eddie stopped Richie from filling his glass again, shoved his own glass over instead. Scowling, Richie took him up on the offer.

“What’s with her friends?”

Richie directed his frown at Eddie. “Her friends?”

“She does have friends, right?”

It took a few seconds for Richie to get with the program. “Obviously she has friends. Tons of friends.”

“So let’s stage a coup. Overthrow the bullies.”

Richie stared at him, his mouth slightly open in wonder. Resisting the urge to squirm, Eddie took his glass of whiskey back, sipped the alcohol nervously.

“You could also just take her on a father-daughter adventure, or like I don’t know, throw a party and invite all her friends.” Eddie was starting to ramble. “Maybe invite the bullies as well and then we can pull them to the side and threaten them with something sharp.”

Yep, Richie was still staring. Eddie got up, collected their glasses to put them in the dishwasher. The scrutiny was making him feel unsettled. Even more out of his depth.

“Anyway, I’m going to bed now.” He was absolutely ready to flee the intense staring and general embarrassment of not being able to stop talking. He needed to leave before someone could say something to escalate the tension.

“It’s not even nine yet.” 

“Got some more work to do. Good night, Rich.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit somber compared to the others. Kids can be evil and ruthless though and I feel the whole situation will bring the Family closer together.
> 
> I was bullied as a kid and I feel it's something that should be discussed. A lot of the time adults would be waving it off as harmless fun or "boys will be boys". And man, that's utter bullshit!  
If you get bullied, you should talk to someone you trust and if that person doesn't take it seriously so help me God!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you still enjoyed reading! Feel free to comment if you have some wishes for future chapters. If it fits in with the *coughs* plot? what plot? this story is just fluff and family feels *coughs* I'll try to write it in for you <3


	11. Legs Like Jell-O

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of how to deal with bullies and man-bun sporting dude-bros.
> 
> ~Richie POV~

When Richie stumbled downstairs with Lily hot on his tail the next morning, a delicious sweet smell wafted into his nose. 

“Ah there you are. I thought you’d never get up.” Eddie scooped food into waiting bowls and shoved them onto the breakfast bar.

Rubbing his bleary, sleep crusted eyes, Richie watched as Eddie topped the bowls with an exorbitant amount of berries and small brown seeds. The coffee machine stopped gurgling and Eddie didn’t falter, just turned around and filled Richie’s favorite mug to the brim.

Lily hopped onto a chair, grinning at Eddie like he was Christmas and her birthday pressed into the form of a person. “Smells sooooooo good! Like what peace smells like.”

Richie smiled at her indulgently, while Eddie patted her freshly tamed hair. “Oatmeal with all the berries I could find. As promised.”

“Berries are the best!” Lily cheered, digging into her breakfast before Richie could even take a seat.

Amelia joined them not too much later, still sleep mussed and about as talkative as Richie. She grunted at them in greeting, and he had to gently kick her against the shin so she remembered her manners. 

“Mornin’.” She yawned. “Thanks, Eddie.”

Normally, their mornings were quiet. Richie and Amelia too tired to hold a conversation and Lily at some point too bored to talk at nothing. Today, she and Eddie filled the silence with cheery chatter. It was nice. Relaxing. Reminded Richie of his childhood. The radio had always been on back then, turned low, nothing more than comforting background noise.

Lily helped clearing the table without any protest, balancing the bowls over to the sink. It made Richie hold his breath until everything was safely in Eddie’s hands.

Richie herded the girls back upstairs to get ready and grab their stuff. There was a minor meltdown, when Lily didn’t find her favorite dress. And then there were some tears because she remembered why she didn’t want to go to school anymore. Richie soothed her. Told her, not matter what, he was only a phone call away.

Back downstairs, Eddie was waiting for them with Tupperware containers Richie was pretty sure he hadn’t owned the last time he checked, and a duffle bag.

“Oh my God, you made us lunch?” Amelia sounded overjoyed.

Eddie handed her one of the bento boxes. “It’s nothing fancy.”

“Nothing fancy?” Amelia peeked into the box. “Yeah sure. Just pure awesomeness. Thank you! Oh, holy cow! Dad, look!”

Richie was pretty sure, Eddie was blushing again. Especially, when Amelia planted a smacking thank-you kiss on his cheek.

“Lily.” Eddie escaped her to hand Lily her bento box. “This is for you. I got you some extra blueberries.”

She beamed at him, and Richie felt his stomach drop out at the realization that they were nearing the point, where Eddie leaving them would devastate his youngest daughter. She was growing more and more attached. 

“Listen.” Eddie crouched down, so he was on eye level with her. “Bullies are stupid. They have inferiority complexes and lack communication skills. You on the other hand are brilliant. Your Dad told me you have tons of friends, right?”

To Richie’s growing amusement and slight horror he was definitely watching Eddie teach his daughter how to stage a coup and rebuild the social structure of her class. Their conversation carried on into the car, because apparently Eddie was coming along for the drive today. He gave Lily instructions, answered her questions (mostly about words she didn’t know), and strictly advised against any physical violence. 

When they reached school, Eddie pulled an assortment of definitely unhealthy sweets from his duffle and told Lily, bribery wasn’t acceptable on most days but it was their lucky day because today wasn’t _most days_.

Richie watched her skip away, slightly worried. “I don’t think she’ll remember fifty percent of what you told her.”

Eddie huffed. “Doesn’t matter. As long as she understands that bullies are assholes and she’s the maker of her own destiny.”

“It’s not always that easy,” Amelia chimed in.

“I know. That’s why I gave her the sweets. Gotta nip the bullying in the bud.”

“That kid’s not Bowers, Eds.” Richie’s voice sounded gentler than he had intended it to.

“Again, that’s why I gave her the sweets. We both know what happened to that motherfucker in the end.” Richie could see Eddie fingering the scar on his cheek in the rearview mirror. 

“Oh shit, he’s dead, isn’t he?” Amelia turned around to stare at Eddie from the front seat.

With a shrug, Eddie turned away. Richie could hear him zip his duffle closed.

“Holy shit! You killed him!”

They both preferred to let the silence answer for them.

“It was self-defense,” Richie said when he could feel Amelia burn holes into the side of his face with her eyes.

“Fuck.” Amelia kind of deflated. After a moment she added: “I will never set a foot into Derry-fucking-Maine.”

That startled a laugh out of Eddie. “Me neither. Never again.”

After dropping Amelia off, Eddie moved into the front seat. His smile was dangerous.

“So, I looked into it and there is this really well rated gym not too far from your house. You know it?”

Richie didn’t answer. He dimly remembered something about gyms from their conversation last night.

“Anyway, we’re going. Now.”

“But-“

“I took the liberty to pack you some workout clothes.”

Richie grumbled. He had a great dislike for gyms. Torture places. Amelia had tried to get him to sign up at one during the Holidays last year, New Year’s resolution shit. They had gone twice and decided: Maybe not? He was quiet certain, Amelia had picked up Yoga though. Doing it online, from the safety of her own bedroom.

There was this determined look on Eddie’s face that told Richie, he would not get out of this. So he just grumbled again and obediently drove them to the gym.

He tried to complain some more, when Eddie signed them up but the knowing look of the girl at the reception made him shut up rather sooner than later. And then they changed. And apparently Eddie was fucking fit because Richie certainly could see a lot of well defined muscles, now that Eddie was wearing only shorts and a tank top.

“I’m technically still doing physical therapy,” Eddie said casually, when they entered the main workout area. “But my doctor said I could do most stuff again.”

Richie’s eyes immediately locked onto Eddie’s chest. He had never seen the scar. It must be pretty expansive from what Richie remembered of the injury.

“It’s pretty fucking ugly.”

Richie looked up and Eddie pulled a face when their eyes met. 

“I don’t care.” Richie shrugged. “I’m pretty damn ugly myself.”

With a snorted laugh, Eddie directed them towards the treadmills. For some “warm-up”.

Eddie was a tank. He powered through his workout routine in a speed that left Richie panting and eventually throwing the towel. 

Leaving Eddie to do his thing, he took a stroll to find some more drinkable liquids. Preferably some coffee. He felt horribly old and out of shape. Definitely in need of a pick-me-up.

To come back and find some dude-bro with a man-bun talking up Eddie made him almost stumble over his own feet. What may have happened anyway. They were feeling like overcooked spaghetti.

Walking up to them, Richie heard Eddie giving the man pointers for his workout, while totally ignoring the flirting. 

“Hey.” Richie sidled up to Eddie, pressing a paper cup with water into his hands.

Taking the cup with a warm smile, Eddie stepped even closer to Richie. Their arms were brushing against one another, which should be disgusting because Eddie was dripping sweat, but Richie couldn’t find it in himself to care.

“Hey, Rich.” Eddie’s voice was unusually low, almost intimate. 

Feeling brave and maybe testing the waters just a little bit, Richie put a hand against Eddie’s lower back. Lightly. A feather’s touch. To his surprise, Eddie leaned into it.

Richie greeted the man-bun with a polite smile and listened to Eddie explain the pros of interval training. His hand resting on the sweat-damp fabric covering Eddie’s skin. He might never move again. 

Sadly, he did have to move again. Eddie forced him through a few more “cool-down” exercises, lots of which were stretching related. While it was delightful to watch Eddie bow down to touch his palms to the ground, it was nothing but embarrassment for Richie. He could barely even reach down to his ankles. If that.

Back home, and after an extensive shower, Richie slowly made his way downstairs. His legs still felt all wobbly.

Eddie was curled up on the sofa, a cup of steaming tea on the table in front of him. He smiled up at Richie, blissed out and content. It made Richie’s heart skip a beat. Made him want. He ached to be able to see Eddie this openly comfortable and happy every day.

“This was great!”

Making some kind of noncommittal sound, Richie slumped down on the sofa next to him. “I feel like jell-o and that’s not something I ever wanted to experience.”

Eddie chuckled, tucking his feet underneath Richie’s thighs. It was kind of becoming a thing they did – and how weird was that.

There was some silence. Comfortable. Companionable. But-

“I’m gonna do the gigs next week.”

Eddie hummed in acknowledgement. “Tuesday ‘till Friday right?”

“Yeah. You sure, you want to watch the girls?”

Eddie hid behind his tea cup for a moment, before he smiled cautiously at Richie. “If you trust me with them?”

_There is no one I trust more._

“Sure.” Leaning into the soft cushions, Richie inched his fingers towards Eddie’s ankle. “I’ll show you the ropes this week.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for writing jealous!Richie/jealous!Eddie.
> 
> Also now I want to write a scene about Eddie showing Rich his scar but like not in a smutty way. So that might eventually crop up.
> 
> I hope you had fun reading this very, very indulgent fic. All the best to you wherever you are!   
*hands out hot cocoa and tea*


	12. KFC a.k.a. Karate For Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie integrates Eddie even more in the family's everyday life.
> 
> ~POV Richie~

Richie decided to tag along on to the shopping trip. He was bored and while he might have some work that really needed to be done, he didn’t feel like sitting in his office. Alone. 

Before, he had usually done shopping during the morning or after picking the girls up from school. So he was used to Amelia sneaking weird, expensive snacks into the shopping cart and Lily’s constantly changing taste in about everything. Those were fundamentals that didn’t change. Everything else though? It was sufficient to say he and Eddie had very different styles of buying groceries. 

Richie normally left a pad lying around in the kitchen, where he noted down everything they were running out of. The girls contributed sometimes. Or he found that Lily had doodled all over the list while he wasn’t looking.

Eddie had a structured checklist on his phone that followed the organization of the supermarket. He would send the girls to go and fetch stuff, while debating prices and fiber counts or whatever he was doing.

They soon started bickering about how many celery sticks they (Amelia) really needed and what brand of peanut butter to buy. Whether they should even buy peanut butter or just this weird pulpy stuff that didn’t have any added sugar and looked way too healthy.

“Eddie! Dad!” Lily came flying down the aisle, holding a box above her head. 

Richie used Eddie’s distraction and quickly hid a glass of peanut butter beneath the leafy greens. Amelia followed her sister at a more sedated pace, swinging her casted arm in a way that meant it was probably itching again.

“There was a dog! It was so tiny,” Lily mimed a small bundle. “And soooo fluffy!”

Exchanging a horrified look, Richie and Eddie both took a step forward. Richie pulled Lily closer, while Eddie walked around the shopping cart so he stood in front of them. Protecting.

“Are you okay, bug?”

“It was soooo cute!” Lily’s smile was bright and obvious. “Dad, can we get a dog? I really, really want a dog.”

“I, we-“ Richie stumbled over the words, unsure what to say. “I’m sorry we can’t. Eddie- Eddie is afraid of dogs.”

Eddie shot him an indignant look. “You’re one to talk. Doofus.”

“But it was soooo tiny and cute! Not scary at all!” Lily stared up at them with big, begging eyes. 

Amelia reached them and eyed the whole situation with a distant, almost bored interest that only teenagers were really capable of. “Since when are you afraid of dogs, Richie?”

Richie spluttered, trying to find a suitable explanation. “I’m not- No. Me? Señorita. Perdón?”  
“Derry,” answered Eddie in his stead. 

She hummed in acknowledgement. Ignoring her father, she took her sister’s hand. “What else do we need?”

After dinner, Richie left Lily in front of the TV to watch some cartoons. Amelia had vanished upstairs without a word, texting and scowling at her phone.

“Eddie?”

The man looked up from his laptop screen, his eyes glazed and faraway. Absorbed in work. “Huh?”

“You got some time?”

“Sure, sure.” He started typing quickly. “Just a sec.”

Richie sat down and poured himself some water from the carafe that seemingly found its permanent place in the middle of the table. According to Eddie they were all not drinking enough. And the water was spiced up with lemon slices and mint leaves so it actually tasted like something. Not that Richie was the biggest fan. He missed his sugary drinks and was definitely acquiring a secret stash in his office. For now the water was okay though.

He was scrolling through his newsfeed, when Eddie finally looked up again.

“Sorry. Just needed to finish that.”

Shrugging, Richie put his phone down. He was sprawled all over his chair, feet propped up on the chair across the table. “No es un problema, Eduardo.”

Eddie considered him and Richie immediately sat more upright. Put the chair back on all four legs, before Eddie could topple him over.

“So?”

“Right.” Richie made grabby hands at Eddie’s laptop. “Let me sync up our calendars.”

They pored over next week’s schedule together. Richie answering Eddie’s 1001 questions, and explaining some things he didn’t question.

“Amelia is in therapy?”

“Yup. Thought it was good if she had someone to talk to besides her old man. Being a teenager and the thing with her Mom and everything. She’s also the one who convinced me to go.”

Eddie hummed and didn’t comment. “What’s this? KFC?”

“Oh, Lily’s karate lessons. She loves it. Lil’ devil.”

Shaking his head in feigned exasperation, Eddie pointed at the next acronym. “And this?” 

Richie could see amusement shining in his eyes. The corners of his lips turned up in an almost-smile. Their eyes met, and Richie had to concentrate on the calendar again.

“Ami and her friends meet once a week to quote unquote study. Next week is her turn to host. But don’t worry,” he said at Eddie’s slowly growing tension. “She’ll sneak some extra snacks while shopping but besides that you don’t really have to do anything. They’ll disappear in her room and not come out until hours later to order some food and maybe watch a movie downstairs.”

Eddie looked doubtful and like he might be reconsidering his offer. Richie got it. It was a lot of responsibility. 

“Hey.” Unintentionally, his voice had gone all soft and gentle again. 

Eddie looked up, guarded. Like he was preparing for a punchline, for Richie to make light of the situation. 

“You can call me any time. Even when I’m on stage. I usually leave my phone with one of the techies. In case of an emergency.”

Eddie’s face showcased a mixture of wonderment, relief and worry. “Great.”

Richie stuck his tongue out at him on an impulse and rose from his chair. “Bug! It’s bedtime~”

Eddie stood at the entrance of the family bathroom, leaning against the doorframe. He watched Richie convince a pouty Lily to use only slightly more than the advised amount of toothpaste. Watched on as Richie did the same flailing little dance he did every night to entertain Lily while she was brushing her teeth along to the soundtrack of Disney’s Moana. 

Richie only noticed that he had started singing along, when he heard Eddie’s barely suppressed, huffing laughter. Smirking to himself, he raised his voice, properly belting along to lyrics he knew by heart. Lily immediately joined in, spraying blue toothpaste all over.

“Sit down.” Richie gestured at Lily’s ladybug bean bag, while he himself plopped down on the edge of her bed.

Eddie eyed the bag for a moment but sat down anyways. Slowly, until he lost his balance and fell the last few inches, landing with a censored curse. Richie laughed at him, and would Lily not be present, Eddie would have flipped him off for sure. It made the whole thing even funnier.

His daughter giggled at Eddie as well and Richie ushered her underneath the covers, still grinning himself. 

While reading the familiar fairytales that he had already read to Amelia years ago, Richie did the voices like always. Eddie’s snorts and chuckles dissipated after a few pages, as did Richie’s urge to kick him. Though latter might take a few more page turns than former. Lily’s glazed eyes made up for it. She was completely lost in the fabled worlds, hugging Snowy the Sloth to her chest.

Closing the book softly, Richie leaned forward to give Lily a kiss to the forehead. She smiled at him blearily and yawned.

“Night night, Daddy.”

“Good night, bug. Sweet dreams.”

He tucked her in and made to leave, only to find Eddie deep asleep and drooling onto the bean bag. Obviously, he took a photo. How could he not take a photo? 

Instead of sending it into the group chat like the last few times, he moved it into the folder normally reserved for pictures of his daughters. Somehow it felt too intimate to share. It was too blurry anyways. The light too low.

Eddie must have gotten up at the asscrack of dawn to make breakfast and the boxed lunches. Probably had spent a stupid amount of time considering the nutritional value of their food, before any of them had even stumbled out of bed. 

Richie’s chest was swelling with _feelings_. Big feelings. Overwhelming. Tingling.

He brushed his suddenly sweaty hands against the rough fabric of his jeans and stopped thinking about how Eddie made him _feel_. For a moment he seriously considered just leaving the man to sleep in Lily’s room. But Eddie would bitch at him to no end if he woke up with the inevitable sore back. The bean bag was just a little too small for a fully grown man.

He couldn’t kick him awake either though. No way, was he going to wake up Lily from her peaceful slumber. That way lay nothing but disaster.

So, he leaned down and gently shook Eddie’s shoulder, whispered a soft “Eds”. 

Eddie grumbled. Turned to hide his face in the bag.

“Eddie, come on. You can’t sleep her. You’re slobbering all over Lily’s stuff.”

The grumbling grew louder. “Fuck off.”

At that, Richie did kick him. Not hard, but with enough force that Eddie grunted indignantly and snapped his eyes open to glare at Richie.

“Shh.” Richie held up a finger, before Eddie could open his mouth. “She’s sleeping.”

Eddie stilled, probably remembering where he was. After a second, he regained his composure and continued glaring at Richie.

Grinning, Richie held out a hand to help him up. 

Eddie muttered something that sounded like “dickface” but took Richie’s proffered hand. After pulling him up, Richie somehow forgot to step back and for a few seconds they were close. Too close.

In the dim light, Richie could see Eddie’s eyes widening, heard the breath hitch in his chest. Their hands still clasped.

They both took a step back at the same time, Richie almost falling over a box of puzzles. He stumbled backwards, losing his balance and almost crashing into a shelf stuffed with books and knickknacks. Thanks to Eddie’s quick reflexes, he didn’t. Instead he stepped into a pile of Legos. Full force.

Sharp pain shot through his foot, up his leg, until his whole body was thrumming with it. Eddie dragged him out into the hallway, where he crumbled to the floor, clutching his ankle. As soon as the door was closed, he swore loudly and maybe whimpered. The pain was crippling. 

“These fucking pieces of hell floor will be the fucking death of me!” he ground out. When he saw Eddie’s amusement, he added: “Just you wait, Eds. Just you wait until you know my pain! Then you won’t be smiling ever again!”

Eddie patted his head patronizingly. “Want some ice for your boo-boo?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Legos, man. Just- I'm traumatized. (Just you wait Eddie!)
> 
> The quarantine is good for something at last. So much time~ Also writing this fic is heaps of fun!  
I hope you enjoyed reading! 
> 
> (Lol, Richie is hopeless.)
> 
> Should I get them a dog? Like I'm totally considering it. Thoughts?


	13. It's All Because of the Chocolate Mousse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They settle into a new normal.
> 
> ~Richie POV~

The fell into an easy rhythm over the course of the rest of the week. 

In the mornings, Richie would come downstairs to find breakfast ready, his coffee waiting for him. Lily and Eddie would chatter, leaving Richie and Amelia to blankly stare at the middle distance in peace. Tupperware containers filled with varied lunches became a new constant, to Amelia’s excitement. She loved to complain about the unhealthy food options in the cafeteria of her school. Lily was just happy because she could show off to her friends. Richie was pretty sure she still got an additional helping of fries during lunch time.

Richie would drive the girls to school and drop Eddie off at the gym on the way. Once he picked him up again on the way back, on Thursday he joined him, and Friday Eddie took an Uber back to the house. Or he ran. Richie wasn’t really sure.

Amelia gaped at him, when he told her he had been to the gym twice that week.

They would usually work during the morning, Eddie loosing himself in a sea of numbers and Richie going over his comedy routines or answering emails. He had abandoned his office (and the coffee shops) for the dinner table and the sofa, finding that he was actually more productive, when he could hear Eddie typing away at insane speeds and mumbling to himself. It was soothing. Background noise. Sometimes he found himself staring at Eddie, and sometimes Eddie was staring back. Both of them lost in thought. They would sheepishly smile and return to their laptops. 

Eddie got him into the habit of snacking on nuts, and cut up fruits and veggies instead of candy. When Richie realized that on Friday, he had to get up to find some Hershey’s for compensation. 

On most days, Lunch consisted of leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. On Wednesday they ordered sushi and Richie made Eddie promise not to tell the girls because they would hate them to all eternity. They loved Asian cuisine, Amelia especially. That evening, he returned to the kitchen from a lengthy phone call to find Eddie reading over the instructions of a newly purchased rice cooker. They ate a lot of eastern Asian food, starting from then. Amelia almost cried in gratitude. 

During the afternoons, they would sometimes watch some TV together or continue working. After Richie returned from picking up the girls from school, they twice tumbled into the house to find Eddie pulling freshly baked goods out of the oven. Once it was blueberry muffins, which were probably the best thing Eddie had eaten in his whole life. Another time it was bread. Dark and full of sunflower seeds and surprisingly dense. That day, Richie learned that the Germans had apparently thought it necessary to create over 700 different kinds of bread.

Amelia and Lily would do their homework downstairs, while Eddie started dinner or helped them. He was surprisingly good at explaining math. Richie on the other hand would partake in some Skype conferences or do some networking, sometimes just chatting with friends. On Thursday he had to call José to explain, why he’d cancelled lunch twice in a row, as they would usually meet at some place close to the other man’s firm a couple of times a week. It had become a habit sometime last year after José wife had left him.

The girls loved helping Eddie cook dinner. Richie had half expected them to get bored of it. Sure, once Lily was simply too tired and instead fell asleep on the sofa and the next day Amelia came home from school disgruntled and in an all-round foul mood. Still, at least one of his kids always insisted on beings Eddie’s sous-chef. And Eddie-

Eddie was great with them. Gentle and warm. Patient but firm. Expecting them to do their best but not for them to be perfect. Especially in the kitchen. Which was good. Otherwise Amelia would have probably cut off a finger by now. Richie had heard her trying to argue that she was still able to cut the veggies because it was her non-dominant arm in the cast. Instead of simply saying no, Eddie had pressed a carrot into her right hand which had promptly fallen to the ground and told her, she had to get used to the cast first. Instead, he gave her other jobs, which made Lily pout because it was encroaching on her territory.

Richie didn’t hear him raise his voice once. Not even when Eddie had to pull a curious Lily back before she could touch the overboiling pot. Or when Amelia was purposefully annoying him. He was surprisingly calm. Obviously, he ranted about health and nutrition and shit and he and Amelia started bantering and bickering but there was a line. And Eddie never crossed it.

Friday marked the day Lily insisted Eddie read her a bedtime story for the first time. Richie was absurdly jealous. Eddie gloated about it for a whole hour afterwards. He was crappy at the voices though, and Lily wasn’t afraid to rub it in. Richie wasn’t either. They only stopped arguing because Amelia told them to “shut the fuck up” because she couldn’t understand a word from the movie she was watching.

On Saturday, Eddie made French toast for breakfast, which was delicious. Richie had the sneaking suspicion he was growing more and more accustomed to the whole plant-based everything. Later Eddie volunteered to go to the park with Lily, while Richie helped Amelia with her presentation on the healthcare system.

Richie and Amelia had chuckled about Eddie’s fanny pack, but about two hours later a panicked Eddie called because Lily had scraped her knee and wouldn’t stop crying. It took a few minutes of Richie calming him, for Eddie to remember that he did in fact have disinfectant spray as well as band aids on his person.

The last few words Richie heard before Eddie hung up were: “Look, aren’t the dinosaurs cute?” as well as “I could totally go for ice cream right now? How about you?”. 

It made him smile. He’d have to talk to Eddie about reinforcing crying with sugar later, but for now it was okay. 

Amelia sunk deeper into the sofa cushions and pulled a face at him. “You’re gross.”

Because Richie was very mature, he replied with: “No, you’re gross.”

They were quiet for a while, Amelia looking for credible sources on her phone, while Richie wrote everything she told him down on her laptop.

“In California,” she said, hesitated. “Is Eddie going to stay?”

Richie froze, staring at the words he had diligently wrote down. 

_California: Eddie going to stay?_

“Uhh.”

Amelia looked at him with serious eyes, waiting for an answer.

“Well…” Richie had no idea what to say.

“I want him to stay.” She started fiddling with her phone, betraying her nerves. “Like, his food is great and Lily adores him. And he promised to show me how to make vegan chocolate mousse.” Her voice got quieter, lowering to a whisper. “And he makes you happy.”

Clearing his throat, Richie pulled his daughter into his side, cuddling her close. “Don’t lie. It’s all because of the chocolate mousse, right?”

Lily elbowed him in the side. “I want to have this conversation with Dad!Richie please. Not Humor-is-my-Only-Armor!Richie.” 

Sighing, Richie closed the laptop. “You and your sister make me very happy every day.”

“It’s different.” Amelia looked up at him. “You’re our Dad. You have to take care of us, have to tell us to do our homework and console Lily when she loses Snowy. Eddie- He’s- It’s just that you smile a lot more since he is here. I mean you’re both assholes-“

“Hey!”

“-but like, you’re really good together.”

Richie tried really hard to keep up the scandalized front at being called an asshole by his own daughter, and not blush. His ears were definitely growing hot.

“And I don’t know what kind of weird we’re-not-going-to-talk-about-it arrangement you two have.” Amelia poked a finger into his chest. “But, Dad, I think you should ask him to move in with us.”

“Ask him to move in?” echoed Richie stupidly. “He’s only been here for, shit, only for like a week.”

“I know!” Amelia scooted back, staring him down. “And he cooks all of our meals. He goes shopping with us – doing it like ten times more efficiently than you – and lets us help in the kitchen.” She started counting every point she made with her fingers. “He read Lily to sleep last night and makes every dish she asks for. She literally has him wrapped around her little finger. Did you know that she asked for the blueberry muffins? Because a friend had some with them in school and wouldn’t share.”

Richie groaned. “God, they were good.”

Amelia nodded enthusiastically. “So good!”

They both needed a second to find their way back to the point Amelia was trying to make.

“Anyways.” She raised another finger for the muffins. “We own like three new kitchen appliances thanks to him. Also you’re less likely to suffer a heart attack due to your poor diet. So, that is like two points because important.”

Frowning, she stopped to think for a moment. “I’m pretty sure he enjoys being here a lot?”

With a victorious smile, she wiggled her ten fingers in Richie’s face. Richie batted them away.

“See? It’s simple.” Amelia clasped her hands, looking at him with an aura of serene wisdom. “He happy. You happy. Everybody happy. Also good food.”

“He has a life back in New York,” Richie tried to argue. 

Amelia snorted. “Yeah, he seems truly desperate to get back to it. Great life.”

Richie remembered, Bev telling him that Eddie’s wife had contested the divorce and was effectively trying to slow the whole process down. It made him want to grit his teeth. 

“He wouldn’t want to officially move until his divorce is finalized anyways.” His voice was petulant. 

“You could still offer?” Amelia rolled her eyes at him. “People can’t read minds, Richie. Has anyone ever told you that?”

Richie harrumphed. 

“The divorce thing is shitty, though.” Amelia cuddled up to Richie again. “He needs to go to New York for court appointments, right?”

“Yeah.”

They both sighed. 

“Adulting sucks.” Amelia burrowed closer, making herself comfortable. 

Richie snorted without humor, agreeing wholeheartedly. 

Lily and Eddie returned from their trip about an hour later. Lily burst through the front door, exploding into the room. There was something tied around her neck acting like a cape in lieu of the usual blanket. It took Richie a second to realize it was Eddie’s sweater. Eddie’s impossibly soft, name-brand sweater.

Lily ran up to them, jumping onto the sofa and throwing herself in the direction of Amelia’s lap. The corners of her mouth were still covered with the remainder of chocolate ice cream.

“Don’t just toss your shoes towards the shoe rack, Lily.” Eddie came into the room. Richie couldn’t help but watch him over the top of the sofa. They locked eyes.

“I’m still amazed that you own something like that,” he said to Richie. 

“In many countries around the globe it is customary to remove your shoes before entering the house,” Amelia replied.

Richie pointed at her. “She’s been in a Japan-slash-Korea phase since at least a couple of years.”

Pushing Lily to the side, Amelia hit him against the shoulder. Hard.

“Ouch! Hey!” Richie shoved at his daughter, until she fled to the other side of the sofa. 

Lily giggled at their antics, enjoying the bouncing of the sofa.

“I’m making some wraps for lunch,” Eddie announced. “Anybody want to help?”

Richie and the girls stilled at the mention of food, attention immediately diverted. 

“We can continue working later,” Richie said, when Amelia looked at her laptop. “Take a break.”

Lily had already jumped up and dashed into the kitchen by the time Amelia decided to get up.

“Thanks, Dad.”

Richie shooed her away, settling in for a nap. He would talk to Eddie when the opportunity arose. Maybe tonight. Or tomorrow. Amelia would be a pain in the ass if he didn’t do it soon, so probably before he left for Texas. But he’d basically told Eddie he could stay for as long as he wanted already. So no pressure, right? 

He could almost feel Amelia’s disapproving glare. Yeah, she wouldn’t be impressed by that. 

With a smile, he settled on _soon_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to confess, I'm slightly in love with Amelia? (As if that's not blatantly obvious.) It's always a blast to write scenes with her in them.
> 
> This was a bit of a tough chapter to write. I hope you've enjoyed reading it anyway!!  
Also, distraction yayy!


	14. Kith and Kin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Sunday of Family Bliss.
> 
> ~Eddie POV~

On Sunday, Richie insisted they go on a family outing. Apparently, it was a tradition to do some sort of activity together before he left for a tour or out-of-state show. 

Eddie checked, and the family calendar now included Richie’s trip to Texas as well as a note that proclaimed Sunday to be an all-day event called: “Kith and Kin.”

Lily jumped up from the breakfast bar, almost braining herself on the edge of the counter. “Museum! I wanna go to see the dinos again!”

Amelia groaned. “I still need to finish my presentation. And we were there like only two weeks ago.” 

“But I want to see the Tyrannosauros rex!” Lily lifted her arms, so that her hands dangled at the height of her shoulders, and roared.

Eddie stared at her in shock. That was impressively loud. 

Roaring again, Lily headbutted Richie in the side. Strong enough, so that he almost fell off his seat. 

“T. REX!” Lily flashed her teeth and snapped at the air. Hands still dangling. 

It looked hilarious. Eddie’s fingers were itching for his phone, the need to take a photo growing exponentially.

“We could go thrifting.” Amelia knocked on her by now colorful cast. “I need some more clothes that work with this thing.”

“Noooo!” Scowling, Lily let her arms sink. “You always wear the same stuff anyways. I want to go to the museum!”

Richie cleared his throat, effectively silencing the girls. “Lily, don’t be mean to your sister.”

“It’s the truth!”

Suddenly frighteningly serious, Richie just stared at her until she started squirming. Eddie was holding his breath. He had never seen him like this. Didn’t even know Richie’s face could do that.

“Sorry, Ami,” Lily mumbled.

“It’s okay.” Amelia pushed her glasses up her nose and smirked. “It really is kinda true.”

“Can’t you just steal some of Dad’s clothes again?” Lily’s voice was hushed, though definitely loud enough so they could all hear her loud and clear. “I really wanna go see the dinos.”

The intense expression that had just started to wane off of Richie’s features returned. “Amelia Elliott Tozier?”

Amelia shrugged. “You have a great taste in clothes?” 

With a huff, Richie threw his hands up. “This explains so much!”

“I’m sorry, Dad. I’ll ask next time.”

“Wait!” Richie fully turned to her, eyes big. “Do you have my ‘Frankie Says Relax’ t-shirt? I’ve been looking for that since weeks.”

“The old one or the one I got you for your birthday last year?”

“The old one,” Richie said, just when Eddie exclaimed: “You told me you lost it! That was my favorite t-shirt!”

In the following silence, Richie visibly scrambled for something to say, while Amelia looked at him with a single raised eyebrow. 

Eddie remembered loaning Richie the t-shirt over twenty years ago. It had been a sweltering summer day. Richie showing up at his house had not really come as a surprise. He had done so most days that summer. Saving Eddie from drowning in boredom and his summer reading list. Mostly they went for joy rides in Richie’s new car, windows rolled down, music blaring from the speakers. 

That day, Eddie recalled, there had already been sweat stains on Richie’s shirt, when he appeared outside Eddie’s window. Eddie had sneered at him in disgust, insisted he put on a fresh t-shirt. Mostly because he stunk but also because Edie would be able to sneak glances at him while he was changing. 

Eddie’s mother had not been impressed when she caught him sneaking in that night, smelling like camp fire smoke and weed.

“You didn’t get rid of it?” Eddie sounded surprised and a little lost. 

Looking uncomfortable, Richie shrugged. “It’s cool.”

Eddie felt shell-shocked. Memories swirling through his mind. Images. Sensations.

“I want more pancakes.” Lily broke the moments, blessedly obvious to the tension. “Can I have more pancakes? Please? Pretty please?”

In the end, they settled on a trip down to the beach. Under the condition that Amelia left her skateboard at home. And Richie had to promise Lily, they’d go to the museum another time.

It was a nice day. Sunny and warm. For the middle of March anyways. 

Eddie and Amelia stayed as far away from the sand as they could, while Richie chased a squealing Lily down to the water’s edge. They found a place to sit and people watch, enjoying the soft breeze.

“Soooo,” Amelia drawled after a few minutes of companionable silence.

Eddie knew that tone. Richie sounded just like that, when he broached a subject that was potentially uncomfortable or awkward. Immediately suspicious, Eddie steeled himself for the coming question.

“Richie told me you’re living in New York?”

“Uhm, yeah.” That wasn’t necessarily what he had expected.

“How do you like it? I’ve never been, but we might go on a school trip next year.”

Eddie watched a group of tourists take ridiculous photos, probably for social media. 

“Traffic is horrible. Lots of assholes on the road.” Shrugging, he tried to find more to say about the city he’d lived in for years and years. “I guess there are some good museums and lots of culture. If you’re interested in that.”

Amelia hummed, eying him curiously. Something in her eyes made Eddie nervous. 

“Richie goes regularly for shows and stuff. But besides the pizza he doesn’t really mention that much.” She leaned back a bit, tilting her head towards the sun. “I think he really likes it though. Good crowds.”

A group of teenagers walked past them, probably headed towards the skate park. They seemed to be around Amelia’s age, shoving and teasing one another. A joke, laughter. One of them, a girl on inline skates, twirled around, executing an almost perfect pirouette.

“What do you work as? Richie never said anything.”

“Uhm.” The memory of Richie’s reaction was still vivid. “I’m a risk analyst.”

Amelia blinked at him. “A what now?”

“I advise businesses on investments and other financial matters.”

“Shit.” Looking flabbergasted for a moment, Amelia took a deep breath. “That sounds like premature death. I’d rather- Sorry.”

It sounded less like an actual apology, and more like she was offering condolences. Especially with the face she pulled.

“It’s okay.” Eddie shrugged. “Pays well. And I have the option to work from home.”

“That’s why the Gucci slippers?”

“They’re cozy.”

“And a statement piece that screams money.”

They both chuckled. Enjoyed the show put on by a bickering couple walking by. 

“Have you ever considered moving to LA?” Amelia asked and Eddie could hear the feigned casualness. “I mean, a lot of your and Richie’s friends are moving to California, right? Stanley? Bev also mentioned something.”

Trying to decipher what she was playing at, Eddie hummed, non-committal. “I’ve looked into it.”

“The real estate market is horrendous here,” Amelia agreed. 

“Worse than New York.”

“Seems like you seriously considered it.”

“For a moment, sure.”

“So, move in with us.” Amelia grinned at him, a twinkle in her eyes. “Richie already gave his okay.”

Eddie gaped at her. Just when he wanted to open his mouth to splutter protest, Amelia jumped up and literally skipped towards the beach. Towards a rumpled looking, laughing Richie. He had Lily on his shoulders, who was gripping onto his hair, shouting something. Both were barefoot, trousers wet around the ankles.

It felt like the sight physically hit him. Affection sweeping through him, so profound it stole his breath for a moment. Affection and longing.

Amelia walked up to them, taking their shoes from Richie and waving at an excited Lily. Frozen, Eddie watched, couldn’t divert his eyes. His heart was beating a rapid staccato.

_Moving in with Richie. Possibly, becoming part of his family._

Deep down, he knew his heart was aching for it. Had always been aching for Richie.

After going for a short walk, they went out for lunch and somehow, Lily convinced them all it was a grand idea to get some donuts afterwards. Not that Richie was hard to sway. But even Amelia agreed. And three begging puppy dog eyes were impossible to resist, so Eddie discovered. He was slowly starting to suspect that Amelia had a secret sweet tooth hidden underneath her consciousness of healthy food.

They were back at the house at around three. There was some minor protest, before Amelia thumped herself down at the table to continue working on her presentation. A scowl on her face, mouth twisted in something like agony.

Eddie made her a ginger-lemon-date-syrup tea and filled two small bowls with blueberries. One for Amelia and one for Lily, who was playing something or another, babbling to herself quietly.

“Thanks,” Amelia said absently, already typing away on her laptop keyboard. 

Eddie had to fight the sudden impulse to pat her on the head. He stared at his hand in horror.

“Why don’t I get anything?” 

Shooting a dirty look towards Richie, Eddie went to hand Lily her blueberries. “You just drank half a liter of coffee with lunch. Water’s on the table, get it yourself.”

Richie muttered something that sounded like “asshole” and threw a balled up piece of paper at him.

“Hey!” Amelia protested. “Are you stupid? Those were my notes!”

A loud yell interrupted any further squabbling. 

“Dad! Daddy!” Lily jumped up, holding something into the air. Her face was shining with awe and excitement. “Look! Look! My tooth!”

Her grin was bloody and definitively missing yet another tooth. Richie whooped and gave her a high-five, before hugging her. When she turned to Eddie, he could only offer a shaky smile.

“That’s- that’s great.” He scrambled for something to say, as to not disappoint her expectant demeanor. “We should celebrate. What do you want to eat for dinner tomorrow?”

“Spaghetti!”

Richie almost chocked on his surprised laugh, spilling water all over his front.

“Huh?” Amelia looked up from her laptop. “What? What did I miss?”

“I’ll show you some easy styles for Lily’s hair tomorrow,” Richie said, when he came back downstairs from putting Lily to bed. “Amelia can do it too, but she’s not really a morning person.”

Eddie huffed. “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

Flipping him off, Richie flumped down onto the sofa. “What are you watching?”

Eddie glanced at the TV. “No idea. It was on your watch list.”

There was a moment that Eddie wondered how obvious it would be to tuck his feet beneath Richie’s thighs again. Then he decided he didn’t care right now. As long as he did it slowly, he was pretty sure Richie wouldn’t realize.

“Wanna watch the second ‘Back to the Future’?”

Eddie’s foot slipped, so that he basically kicked the other man. “Sure.”

Blessedly, Richie didn’t react. Other than pulling up the movie and pressing play. Ten minutes in, his fingers were loosely draped over Eddie’s ankle, neither of them acknowledging it out loud.

It was scary how at home Eddie felt. How safe and secure. Comfortable. Relaxed. He hadn’t felt this good in a long, long time.

“Eds?”

Eddie looked up. He’d been lost in his thoughts, not realizing the movie was already over. 

“You know-“ Richie’s fingers tightened around his ankle, making Eddie shiver slightly. “I mean, I already said- You’re welcome to stay here. Right?”

Eddie lifted his toes against the underside of Richie’s thighs. “Yeah?”

“So, uh.” Rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, Richie frowned. “The room is free. I mean, it’s a guest room. But it’s not like I really need a guest room. My parents prefer to stay in a hotel when they come to visit, which they don’t really. And-“

“Jesus, Rich.” Eddie sighed. “Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

Rolling his eyes, Eddie pushed his feet even further underneath Richie’s thigh. “You’re asking me to move in, right? Our did you just have a stroke?”

“Oh, fuck off!” he said, and after a second of thought: “Amelia talked to you, didn’t she?”

Eddie answered with a lengthy yawn. “I think I’ll go to bed now.”

“Sure.” He didn’t let go. “What- what about the divorce?”

Eddie stiffened. He didn’t really want to think about it. But Richie looked strangely vulnerable in the blue light of the TV. 

Eddie found himself talking before he was consciously aware of it. “Bev helped me find a good lawyer. He got Myra to settle. The divorce will be finalized in a few weeks, maybe two months.”

Richie lowered his head, but Eddie had already seen the tentative smile. 

“Anyway.” Eddie got up and kicked Richie a few times in the process. Totally by accident. “I’m going to bed. You should too. God knows you need the beauty sleep.”

“Fuck you!” 

Richie made to grab Eddie, but Eddie was faster, slipping out of his reach and sauntering to the stairs.

“Good night, Rich.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More family bliss!!! I just can't get enough of them!
> 
> A bit late~ but here you go!! I hope you enjoy.
> 
> (Tumblr made me listen to The Magnus Archives - a horror podcast - and I've been binge listening the last few days. It's great if you're into horror-mystery. So I've not really been writing. But here you go!)


	15. Fruit Loops. Why Would I Buy Them?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie leaves for Texas but when crisis (and loneliness) strikes he is only a phone call away.
> 
> ~Eddie POV~

Lily was somewhat subdued on Tuesday morning, clinging to Richie and not really touching her breakfast. It was a somber start into the day. The sky a fitting grey.

Eddie was nervous. Had he been a religious man, he might have said a prayer or two. What had given him the idea that he was in any way qualified for this? Everybody had always told him, he wasn’t made for fatherhood. He didn’t have the paternal instincts. Too neurotic. Too much of a germaphobe.

And here he was. Panicking because he was about to be responsible for not just one but two children. If anything happened to them, Richie would never forgive him. Eddie wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

“Calm down, Eds.” A warm hand gripped his shoulder. “Breath.”

Reluctantly, Eddie loosened his grip on the steering wheel. They were in the drop-off parking lot at the airport, Richie all packed up and ready to go.

“You’re sure, you told me about all their allergies, right?” Eddie sounded breathless, his voice tinged with worry and maybe a little bit of dread. “All other medical history as well?”

“Yes.” Richie squeezed his shoulder. “Relax. You have all the plans, and schedules, and contact information.”

“But what if-“

“Just call me.”

Eddie took a deep breath. He could do that. Just call Richie. “Okay.”

It wasn’t long, before Eddie made his first frantic call. Okay, so it was already in the afternoon and he was standing in the grocery store with a crying Lily, Amelia having disappeared towards the canned goods aisle. 

There was the dial sound. Eddie allowed himself a shallow breath, shoulders still raised up to his ears. Desperately trying to avoid looking at the people that were staring at him. At him and Lily. Lily who was still crying, miserable hitching breaths. Snot running, her cheeks all puffy and flushed.

“Eduardo.” Richie finally answered the phone. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Fruit Loops,” Eddie pressed out. “Unhealthy. Sugar. Why would I buy them?”

Lily looked up at that, face drawn, looking almost angry. Petulant for sure.

Richie laughed. “Just buy them, Eds.”

Making grabby-hands, Lily reached up for his phone. With a sigh, he handed it over and picked up a box of Fruit Loops. The ingredient list in and of itself already gave him diabetes. 

“Daddy!” Lily sniffled. 

Placing the cereal in the cart, Eddie watched Lily calming down slowly. Listening to her father’s voice and nodding along to whatever he was saying. He could hear the distant words. Soothing. Warm.

“Okay. Bye-bye, Dad.” Lily hung up, before Eddie could get a chance to talk to Richie again.

She looked up at him, surprisingly apologetic. “Hug?”

Eddie’s heart melted, the still lingering anxiousness seeping away. Bending down, he scooped the girl up into his arms, settling her on his hip. Little arms wound around his neck, and Lily buried her face in the crook of his neck. The scar on his chest throbbed lightly, reminding him that he was still healing.

Amelia chose that moment to saunter back over, hiding the caution behind a mask of boredom. There was some underlying guilt at abandoning Eddie with a tantrum throwing Lily, but she just deposited some chickpeas in the cart without comment.

They made Tamales for dinner. Mrs. Alvarez’ recipe. Everybody was in a surprisingly cheery mood, considering the nightmare of a shopping trip. Eddie had given Amelia control over the music and some foreign sounding pop music was doodling through the open plan downstairs.

Cooking helped calm Eddie’s nerves. Allowing the foreboding sense of some kind of horrible disaster to subside. Somewhat.

Lily was dancing along to the music, bumping into Eddie’s legs every now and then. He had noticed that she was keeping closer to him. Closer than during the last week. Always just a few steps away.

When they settled down for dinner, Amelia’s phone rang. She looked at it for a few moments, eyebrows raised in suspicion. Then her eyes found Eddie’s. 

There was a rule about phones at the dinner table. No texting, no calls, and Richie always insisted on phones lying face down. Eddie had taken to leaving his phone in the kitchen or plugged in on the breakfast bar.

They listened to the ringtone end, all staring at the phone. Lily started giggling softly.

Next Eddie’s phone started buzzing.

“It’s probably Richie,” Amelia said.

“He knows its dinnertime though.”

With a shrug, she turned her phone over just as it started ringing again. “Maybe it’s an emergency.”

She picked up, tilting the phone in a way that made Eddie assume it was a video call. “Father?”

“Oh daughter of mine?”

Amelia lifted the phone up, shoving it in Eddie’s face. He scowled at her, and in extension Richie.

“I thought we could dine together, Oh Wise One?” 

Watching Richie hold up some take out, Eddie sighed. He shared a look with Amelia, who rolled her eyes.

“Tell me one good reason, why I would want to watch you kill yourself with sodium, fat and sugar?” 

“I also got a salad?”

Obviously, Eddie allowed Amelia to build a phone stand, from which Richie could more or less see them all. Mostly he would have a clear view of Lily, who ate messily, half of her face covered in sauce even though they had only just sat down. 

They ate. Lily babbling about her school day, and every now and then landing on the weirdest questions. Like why was something spicy? What was a apex predator? A boomer?

Eddie was getting used to her curiosity and random questions. It was fine. As long as he had his phone at hand and could google stuff. Or when he was able to defer to Richie or Amelia and demand they answer Lily’s never ending string of questions.

He was already dreading bedtime.

“How was your day, Ami?” Richie asked, as soon as there was a lull in Lily’s rambling.

“Good, good.” 

There was a pause.

“Sounds thrilling.” Richie took a delicate bite of his food. “Do elaborate.”

A long-suffering sigh. “Johnny still wants me to help with the script for the next show. Indie told me – again – softball would look good on my college application. And Angel accidentally spilled food on the new kid from Chicago and almost died from embarrassment.” 

She took a deep breath. Continued: “His name is Damon. He’s in my math class. And before you ask, yes, I’m pretty sure Angel has a crush on him already, and thus I invited him to our study group tomorrow. Don’t know if he’ll show. Matilde is trying to dig her perfectly manicured claws into him, so maybe he’ll end up higher in the food chain.”

“So Matilde isn’t coming?” Richie took a bite of his fried noodles. 

Amelia glared at him. “I didn’t ask.”

“Why?”

The glare intensified. “You know why.”

Eddie followed their conversation with obvious confusion. Too many names. Too much inside information he wasn’t privy to.

“She kissed you.”

“She had a concussion!” Amelia’s voice rose defensively. “We haven’t talked since then. She’s ignoring me.”

“That was weeks ago.”

“I know!” Amelia shot up with something that sounded like a growl. Scraping her chair back noisily. 

Eddie watched her stomping into the kitchen, all tense shoulders and scrunched up face. Good thing they had stocked up on celery sticks.

“She okay?” Richie asked quietly. 

Eddie turned back around, facing the phone once again. “She looks frustrated?”

Richie sighed. 

“Sooo.” Eddie handed Lily another tamale to stuff her face with. “How many kids exactly are in this study group?”

“Changes from week to week.” Shrugging, Richie smiled innocently. “Something between five and ten?”

The urge to just hang up on Richie was sudden and all encompassing. He wished he could at least curse at him, flip him off maybe. Lily grinned at them, and Eddie reached over to wipe some of the cream from her brow. Richie’s cooing was definitely ignored.

They had fruit salad for dessert. And then Eddie sat through two rehearsals of Amelia’s presentation. She did fine. A bit nervous, which lead to quite a few jokes to cover-up said nerves. Overall, she would do great though. Eddie was sure.

Lily was jumping all over the sofas, playing superhero with a Barbie doll. Every now and then there was shouting and maybe some screaming. Once she tripped, and Eddie had a minor cardio vascular event. Lily only giggled and bounced back up.

Getting her upstairs into the bathroom to get ready for bed was a nightmare and a half. She was all hyped up and Eddie kind of had to toe the line between being the friend of her Dad that was teaching her how to cook and defeat bullies, and the caretaker/parental figure he had somehow become. How strict was he allowed to be? 

Amelia was his savior. As soon as he had convinced Lily upstairs, Amelia swooped in to take a shower with her sister. Eddie joined them in the steam-billowing bathroom, when they were both dry and in pjs. Then it was all toothpaste and Disney songs.

Eventually, all three of them congregated to Lily’s room. Amelia flopped down onto the bean bag and pulled out her phone, immediately lost to the world behind the screen. Eddie lowered himself on the edge of the bed, Richie’s spot.

“Can you read this?” Lily was clutching a picture book to her chest. “It’s Daddy’s favorite.”

“Sure.” 

Eddie bit his cheek to suppress the chuckle. Richie’s favorite book? If that wasn’t an opportunity for future teasing, Eddie didn’t know what was. Richie had a favorite children’s book? A picture book none the less? About penguins?

Lily beamed at him, finally slipping beneath the covers. 

“Don’t forget to do the voices!” she reminded him, while fluffing her pillow.

Eddie tucked her in gently, unable to suppress a gentle smile. “How could I?”

Leaning against the headboard, Eddie made sure Lily had a good view of the illustrations before he flipped the book open and started reading.

“_In the middle of New York City there is a great big park called Central Park…_”

He made it half-way through the book, before he noticed that Amelia was filming him. She gave him a thumbs up, and a wink.

“And Tango Makes Three” wasn’t very long. Eddie was still weirdly touched by the end. Not sure at all, whether he would be able to tease Richie for liking it.

When he finished, Lily sighed contently. Her head was resting on Eddie’s forearm and she turned to nuzzle his arm, as soon as he closed the book.

“I really want another Dad.” Her voice was muffled against his skin but Eddie understood her just fine.

A shuddering breath that didn’t seem to fill his lungs. Amelia was chocking in her dark corner. Served her right.

Eddie clumsily patted Lily’s head. Didn’t know what to say to that at all.

“How was the gig?” Eddie sunk deeper into the cushions of the sofa, a movie running on the TV. Muted.

“Oh, it was great! There was this asshole, who made some really homophobic comments and his girlfriend threw her drink in his face.”

Eddie laughed at Richie’s glee. “What a dick.”

“How are the girls?”

“Last I checked Lily was asleep and Amelia skyping with some friends.”

“It’s late.”

“I know.”

There was silence for a moment. Then: “Go tell her to go sleep then!”

Eddie groaned. Rolled his heavy, tired body from the sofa. “You could’ve just called her instead of me, you know. Told her to go to bed yourself.”

“She doesn’t listen to me.” Richie sniffed. “Remember how she’s fifteen? At that age I usually snuck out around this time of night to throw rocks at your window.”

“Yeah, fuck you for that!” Eddie huffed, switched off the TV. “You think she’ll listen to me?”

“It’s your duty to remind her she’s still a teenager. That’s all parenthood is really about.”

“Sure.” Eddie trudged up the stairs slowly. “It’s totally not about you trying to be as annoying as possible. During the last two weeks I haven’t seen you reprimand her for staying up late even once.”

There was laughter on the other end of the line. Eddie tried really hard to maintain his scowl.

“It’s good to check up on her every now and then,” Richie said, now more serious. “She tends get lost in her work.”

With a grumble, Eddie knocked on Amelia’s door. Waited for her to call out, only then sticking his head into the room.

“Hey.” She swiveled her chair around to look at him.

“Hey.” Eddie held his phone up. “Your Dad’s says you should go to bed, it’s late.”

Rolling her eyes, Amelia waved it off. “Yeahyeah, I just gotta finish the paragraph.”

“Okay.” Smiling, he made to close the door. 

“Good night, Eddie.”

Surprised he stopped. “Good night, Ami.”

“Oh!” A grin crept onto her face. “And could you please tell Dad to stop mother-henning?” 

An indignant sound from the speaker told him, Richie had heard. Eddie answered Amelia’s grin with a smirk.

“I am not mother-henning!” Richie ground out.

Eddie ignored him. “Just remember to check the time, Ami.”

“I will, I will. Promise.”

“Okay. Sweet dreams.” 

Eddie closed the door with a soft click, feeling like he had accomplished something important.

“Thanks.” Richie’s voice was barely more than a rumble.

“Sure.”

The silence that followed, told him it was time to say good bye, hang up. But Eddie had felt strangely restless ever since he had put Lily to bed. The living room feeling empty and too quiet. He wasn’t used to being alone.

Talking to Richie- It settled something inside him.

He didn’t want to hang up just yet.

“Tell me about your show.” Eddie ambled towards his own bedroom, fully intending to listen to Richie’s rambling and crude comments for at least another ten minutes.

When he woke up the next morning, Eddie realized with horror that he had fallen asleep to the sound of Richie’s voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY!!!
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter! It was a b*tch to write.
> 
> Dad!Eddie is slowly manifesting more and more and I'm totally there for it!


	16. It's Called 'Living in the Moment', Eds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie is dealing with ~feelings~
> 
> ~POV Eddie~

Somehow, they all ended up eating Fruit Loops for breakfast. Eddie wasn’t sure how that had happed exactly. To make up for it, he packed an extra helping of berries and nuts into the lunch boxes to balance it out. Lily was overjoyed.

The morning passed slowly, filled with work and a steady stream of text messages from Richie. Eddie could barely concentrate. He felt jittery and nervous.

Hosting five to ten teenagers for an afternoon seemed like a horrible idea. How was he supposed to make sure they all survived until the evening? What if they wanted to stay for dinner? He had never cooked for more than four people.

Before he was consciously aware of it, Eddie had abandoned his laptop to do some stress cleaning. The family bathroom definitely needed a good scrub. And vacuuming the living room seemed like a sensible idea afterwards. Maybe he went a bit overboard, when he decided to put fresh sheets on every bed in the house and wiped down the already sparkling kitchen counter tops. 

Just when he was debating whether or not he should start deep-cleaning the oven, his eyes caught on the rice cooker and he spontaneously decided to make onigiri. Amelia had expressed a deep love for Japanese cuisine, so he really couldn’t help it.

While the rice was cooking, he got inspired and by the time he had to leave to get the girls from school there were a few plates with onigiri on the table and blueberry muffins cooling on the breakfast bar. The lemon bars were still in the oven but they were on a timer that would make sure the house wouldn’t burn down while he was away.

He picked Lily up first, who excitedly told him a winding tale about her school day. Apparently, she and her friends had created a new game during recess. It sounded incredibly complicated.

Amelia and two friends were waiting at the pick-up spot, when Eddie pulled up. 

“Hey Eddie!” Amelia grinned at him, sliding into the passenger seat. “These are Johnny and Zahra. Theatrical geniuses but both suck at math.”

Eddie interrupted the protest before it could really start. He turned around to the two teenagers who had squeezed themselves into the backseat next to Lily’s car seat and greeted them with a smile.

“Hi, feel free to call me Eddie.”

The boy, Johnny, blushed, elbowing Zahra in the side. She was a lot more dignified, smiling brilliantly and said: “Thank you.”

“Angel is driving the others,” Amelia explained, when Eddie pulled away from the curb. 

Eddie hummed in understanding and tried not to eavesdrop on the whispered conversation between Johnny and Zahra. It didn’t continue for long anyways because Lily was incapable for staying quiet for any extended period of time. Especially, when the focus wasn’t on her. 

The two teens were great with her, listening attentively and Johnny seemed to be genuinely interested in her stories. There were some delightful moments, when Amelia’s friends stumbled over curses and frantically tried to swallow the words. Eddie couldn’t help but join Amelia’s chuckling over their earnest efforts. It was endearing. 

They arrived at the house almost simultaneously with Angel who smiled and waved shyly. With her were three other teenagers.

“Indie , Chris and Damon.” Amelia pointed at each of them and they greeted Eddie.

Finally inside, Eddie pointed the flock of teens towards the baked goods and onigiri. He watched their excitement with a certain amount of pride. Even more so when they pulled out their phones to take photos and document the experience.

Lily helped him with pulling out the lemon bars from the oven and decorating them on a nice platter.

“These are fricking delicious!” one of the boys exclaimed. 

“Homemade and plant-based,” Amelia boasted in Eddie’s stead. “I told you, Eddie is awesome.”

“I don’t ever want to leave again!” Zahra lamented. “Can’t I just move in? My Mom is a terrible baker.”

The others agreed, all of them standing scattered around the room with napkins, stuffing their faces. Lily carried the lemon bars over to the dinner table.

“Scrumptious,” Johnny said and Angel giggled. 

“Indeed,” Indie agreed. “The most exquisite taste to ever grace my mouth cavern.”

Laughter. 

“Thank you, Eddie.” Amelia had sidled up to Eddie, an onigiri in hand. “I really didn’t expect this.”

“No problem. I’m glad your friends like it.”

She harrumphed. “I’d desert if they didn’t. Leave their sorry asses to fend for themselves. No, but really. You didn’t have to. This is-“

“Epic!”

“Yeah, what Chris said. I really appreciate it.”

“We all do!” Johnny added with emphasis.

Lily bounced over, cheeks stained violet from the blueberries in the muffins. Amelia snapped a picture.

“For Dad,” she explained. “He’ll be so envious. I love it!”

It only took a few seconds before her phone started ringing. Eddie had just taken the lemon bar that Lily had brought him, when Amelia pushed her phone into his hands and dispersed.

“Does anyone want something to drink? Tea, coffee, soda?” He heard her ask, before he answered the phone with a sigh and a suppressed smile.

“Rich?”

“How dare you, Eds?” He sounded riled. “Blueberry muffins while I’m gone? Fuck you!”

“Is that Dad?” Lily asked, holing up a sticky hand.

“Yeah.” Eddie smiled down at her. “He’s happy we’re having such a good time.”

“Can I talk to him?”

“Sure, but please wash your hands first.”

“Don’t you dare just handing me off to my daughter, Eddie! Eddie? Hey! Don’t ignore me!”

Eddie took a bite of his lemon bar. “Not ignoring you. Just eating.”

“Oh, fuck you! I hate you!” 

Eventually, the teenagers traversed upstairs. Eddie sighed with relief. So far no one had died. Good.

He helped Lily with her homework for a bit, even though she barely needed him. It was nice to just sit with her and watch her work. Listen to her babble und hum songs that sounded vaguely familiar. 

He maybe snuck a few photos for Richie, and also for a possible future photo album. 

After getting some more work done himself, and playing with Lily, Eddie pulled up a movie for the girl. She was quickly entranced in the colorful worlds, hugging a pillow to her chest. 

They had decided to order dinner, which was a great relief but Eddie still wanted to make a salad. 

Soon all the teenagers clattered down the stairs, bringing used dishes and half-full glasses with them. Johnny and Indie immediately joined Lily on the couch, to watch the end of the movie with her. The others converged in the kitchen, offering help and setting the table.

Dinner was loud. Everyone was talking, laughing, sharing food. Amelia seemed happier than Eddie had ever seen her. Positively radiant. 

She smiled at him, when she caught his eyes. Then she went back to discussing the benefits of outlining your story with Angel, the two of them lost in an animated debate.

Eddie had never in his life expected to sit at such a lively table, passing food around and overseeing a gaggle of teens and a hyped up six year old. He had never expected to be part of a family. Not that he didn’t want one. He just kind of talked himself out of it at some point. Myra wasn’t a mother figure and he had always been kind of a workaholic. Not the most suitable environment for a child. Not to mention that he had never really wanted to have children with Myra. 

And now here he was. Telling Lily to clean the sauce form her nose and already thinking about what photos he wanted to send Richie later. Whether he should just call him. Let Lily talk to him before bed. What book he’d read her for her goodnight story.

Family. They were a family and somehow he had become part of it. He was a part of Richie’s family.

Richie. Eddie missed the asshole. Missed his stupid trashtalking and weird noises. The banter and easy camaraderie. He missed him and wasn’t that a novel feeling. Eddie had never been one to miss people.

Later, when he was reading Lily to sleep, the feeling was still there. This tugging in his chest. His thoughts circling around a certain lanky, bespectacled man, memories crawling up. Memories he had forgotten. That came back with sound and words and smell. Some with force, others gently.

He had nightmares that night. Running, falling. Leaving.

At three in the morning, he jolted up from his pillow, breathing hard and drenched in sweat. His heart was hammering.

It was his phone that had woken him. The screen was lit up with two missed calls. It started ringing again.

“Richie?” Eddie’s voice was slightly breathless, an unmistakable edge of panic sharpening the words.

“Eds? Oh my God, Eds!” Richie sounded equally panicked. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes I’m fine.”

“Where are you? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m in bed. It’s three am, Richie. Where else would I be?”

“Bed. You’re in bed. Good. Okay.” Richie took a shuddering breath. “Okay.”

“Richie? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just-“ A low, flat chuckle. “Just thought you had died. Back in Derry.”

Eddie swallowed hard, his chest itched. “I’m fine, Rich.”

They both took a deep breath. 

“Fuck!” Richie groaned. It sounded like he had flopped back down into bed, the sheets rustling.

Eddie agreed wholeheartedly. Rubbing his chest, he tried to wind his sleep-heavy brain up to find something else to say. Something not death or mutilation related. Something that wouldn’t transport them back into that wet, crumbling hellhole.

“Do you remember when we skipped school and drove to Portland? That week before I moved.”

Richie was quiet, probably thinking. The memory was still hazy for Eddie, so he wouldn’t be surprised if it took Richie a second.

A small laugh. “The car almost broke down on the drive back.”

“Not almost, we were totally stranded on the side of the road for like two hours.” Eddie chuckled. 

“It was our first date.” Richie sounded thoughtful, like the memory was coming back slowly, while he was talking.

Eddie couldn’t help but smile. “You insisted that the popcorn vendor at the movies was trying to flirt with me.”

“He was.”

“I really don’t think so.”

“Yeah, but you never noticed when people were flirting with you.”

Eddie huffed. “Shut up, dickface. That’s not true.”

“You never noticed. I was literally flirting with you for years and you never picked up on it.”

“That’s because I thought you were just joking.”

Richie moved and the sheets rustled again. “Wasn’t meant as a joke though.”

Eddie tried to suppress the weird squeezing in his chest, rubbing at his scar again.

“Do you remember the beach?” There was a slight laugh in Richie’s voice. “I totally got soaked.”

Eddie grinned at the memory. “It was your stupid idea to chase the waves.”

“It’s called ‘living in the moment’, Eds.”

“I was terrified you’d catch a cold because you wouldn’t stop sneezing afterwards.”

“But you still rejected to kiss it better.” Richie was amused, Eddie could hear him grinning.

“Because that’s not how it works, Dipshit.” Eddie got up from bed, making his way downstairs. 

The sweat on his front and back had dried by now, leaving him feeling sticky and disgusting.

“What are you doing?” Richie asked.

“Getting a glass of water.” Eddie smiled to himself. It felt incredibly domestic to talk to Richie in the middle of the night, while walking through the dark house.

Richie hummed, and there was some silence while Eddie filled his glass. 

“Do you remember the ring?” Eddie eventually said, his voice betraying his nerves at asking the question so outright.

“The ring?” There was a slight scratchy noise, probably Richie rubbing his chin.

Eddie gulped down half of the glass instead of answering.

Laughter. Slightly crazed and definitely amused. “Oh, the ring I found on the sidewalk?” 

More laughter, this time sounding a bit jittery. “I proposed to you.”

“In the middle of the street! In front of people!”

“I thought you were going to hit me and never talk to me again.” His voice was wistful. “Instead you said yes.”

“I still have that ring.” Eddie rubbed his eyes.

“What?”

“I don’t know why I never threw it away.” Refilling the glass with slightly shaking hands, Eddie stared into the dim room, unseeing. “It’s in my wallet.”

This time the silence stretched longer. Neither of them knowing what to say. Eddie wished he had never opened his mouth. If not for the comforting darkness of the night, he would have never revealed such a thing.

“Eddie,” Richie eventually said. Just that. His name. Nothing more.

But Eddie knew what he meant. He felt it too. The sorrow for what they had lost, the almost painful memory of how much he had loved Richie. How all encompassing his feelings had been. 

“You know,” Richie sounded suspiciously cheerful, “Now that I have the money, I could actually buy you a new ring.”

Eddie chocked on the water he was sipping. 

“I mean we’re both single right?”

“Richie!” Eddie was speechless.

Richie laughed. “Just a joke! Jeez, Eds, don’t poop your pants.”

“Not funny, Richie!”

“It kinda is.” Richie sniffled. “Though I can’t say I’m not hurt at your reaction. You didn’t even think about it.”

Groaning, Eddie slumped onto the couch. “Fuck you.”

“Yeah, I’d fuck you too.”

Eddie hung up. Scowled at the phone. His heart was beating a rapid staccato.

What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, wow, I know! I was gone forever! I don't even know if people are still reading Reddie Fics.   
I had some really though months. Loads of stuff to do and some personal tragedies (not corona related). 
> 
> But now I'm back, BABY! And I am determined to finish this story, come hell or high water. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, I had a doozy writing it. Especially the last scene ;)
> 
> The ring, tho, right?


	17. Photographs and a Headline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie's Return, paparazzi, and some good ol' photographs.
> 
> ~Richie POV~

The day dragged on, every minute stretching impossibly long. Richie really tried to get his mind to focus on something other than his family. He was anxious to get back home. 

So he tried to distract himself by strolling through Austin, going food-truck hopping and buying souvenirs for the girls and Eddie. He ended up with a couple of hilarious t-shirts as well as a heavily branded spice blend which Eddie would probably hate with a passion. It was great. 

Stuffed with greasy food and maybe a little bit too much caffeine, he rolled up at the location of the gig. While going over his notes backstage, Richie received a video clip from Eddie. Lily’s karate class. She was kicking some serious ass. And then there was Eddie’s running commentary and cheering. It made Richie yearn. He wished he could be there with them.

Instead he had to focus on his work. On timing, delivery, reaction. Bright lights and heat. He loved it. Could normally lose himself in it. 

Today, his thoughts strayed. Not enough to destroy the flow of the show, and it was a great setup for jokes, but it was a weird, alien feeling.

  
Later, after a short impromptu fan-meet, Richie was lying in bed, staring at the dark ceiling. Thinking.

About the turn his life had taken in the last few weeks. How much Eddie was changing his life. Not only his life though. His daughters’ lives as well. 

He was desperate for Eddie’s company. Desperate for the jokes and bickering. Watching movies together and talking about the past.

The nightmare had been horrifying. Loosing Eddie…

He didn’t even want to think about it. How different his life could have been if Eddie hadn’t made it out of 29 Neibolt Street alive. It would have shattered him.

Now, after just a couple of weeks, Richie was terrified of Eddie suddenly being gone. The girls loved him, were growing more and more accustomed to his presence. As was Richie.

He sighed. Flipped on the TV. Stared without seeing anything.

Eddie fit into the family perfectly. Like there had always been an open space waiting for him. 

Skipping a few channels, Richie settled on some reruns of a show he had never really watched.

He wanted Eddie to be family. For them to be a unit of four. Secure, stable. Home.

  
Richie fumbled his way out of the airplane with little finesse. His eyes were bleary. He was tired and starving. Early flights were the worst.

Thankfully, he was traveling with carry-on only and didn’t have to bother with baggage claim. Instead he could walk right out.

Searching the crowds for Eddie, Richie came to a stop. Yawning, he stretched. Gosh, he really needed coffee. 

“Hey! Richie!”

Richie twirled around. “Eds, hey, hi, how’re you? Good morning.”

Eddie frowned at him. “You look half dead, you okay?”

With a grand, dramatic gesture Richie went for a hug. He half expected Eddie to punch him in the guts. Instead he got a hesitant hug back.

“Glad to be home.”

Eddie grumbled. “You sure, you’re okay?”

“Yeah, just exhausted and hungry.”

Reluctantly, Richie let go and stepped back. “You look tired.”

Eddie grabbed Richie’s luggage, directing Richie towards the exit. “Lily had a bad dream last night and Amelia made us all watch Lilo & Stitch at like two a.m. It worked like a charm. Lily fell asleep in under ten minutes. But Amelia roped me into a conversation about mythical creatures and world building for her story and only fell asleep an hour later.”

Eddie soldiered on without looking at Richie. His ears were growing suspiciously red.

“What else?” Richie asked.

“We all slept in your bed. I hope that’s okay.”

Richie almost stumbled over his own feet and into a waiting taxi. “Yeah, sure. Okay.”

Eddie rolled his eyes at him. “I’m pretty sure Amelia took a photo. She was awake uncharacteristically early.”

“Mhm.” Richie needed that photo. 

“Wanna stop for coffee on the way home?”

Noticing the diversion for what it was, Richie nudged Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie glared at him.

“Naw, thanks.” Richie stretched again. “I think I prefer the stuff back home.”

  
Coming home felt great. Though the neighbor’s flowers still smelled atrocious and Richie noted that the picket fence would soon need a new layer of pink paint. Still.

He fell onto the couch with a satisfied groan. Welcoming the comforting smells. Something was poking him in the shoulder but he didn’t really care.

“What do you want to eat?” 

Richie could hear the sound of Eddie filling the coffee machine, clattering around.

“Food. I don’t really care.” Richie’s voice was muffled by a pillow.

“We have leftover curry from yesterday, that okay?”

Richie gave him a thumbs-up without looking. He was so fucking happy to be home. And that home now included Eddie.

  
That evening they went out for dinner in the city and Richie posed for a few pictures, forced Eddie to join in, the girls did so willingly. He was incredibly proud to show off his family.

At around midnight, Eddie burst into his room, phone out. Gesticulating, he shoved the screen in Richie’s face. Richie had been reading the first few pages of Bill’s manuscript for the next book he was writing – apparently this one would have a better ending than the others. Or so Bill said.

“Richie! Look at this! Bev just sent me the link! Can you believe it?”

Richie pushed Eddie’s hand away, so the phone screen wasn’t hovering just an inch from his glasses. It was a picture. A picture of them. From dinner.

Eddie looked disgruntled, his smile more a frown. Lily next to him was holding his hand, grinning to show off all her missing teeth. Slightly to the side, Amelia was doing some kind of pointer-and-thumb-beneath-her-chin move, trying to look cool. Richie himself had an arm thrown over Eddie’s shoulder, pulling him in. Looking at himself right now, he was astonished at how radiant he looked.

“So?” Richie raised his eyes from the phone to Eddie’s blushed face. 

“It’s from this night!”

“Yeah? So?”

Eddie stared at him, disbelieving. “What?”

“This is LA, Eds. And I’m somewhat famous, if I do say so myself.”

The mattress bounced when Eddie plopped down on the edge. “Right.”

Richie put the pages of the manuscript to the side and leaned forward, pulling his legs in so he was sitting criss-cross-applesauce. “You okay?”

“What?” Eddie straightened his back. “Yes, sure. Of course. Anyways, that wasn’t all. Look!”

He scrolled down, and Richie just barely caught the headline.

‘_A New Addition to the Family? – Just recently the Netflix-comedian Richie Tozier has come out as bisexual, and now he is being spotted around town with his adorable family and a handsome-_‘

“They called you handsome.” Richie chuckled.

Eddie only glared at him, scrolling down until he reached what he was looking for. Photos.

Their day at the beach, Lily on Richie’s shoulders, Amelia carrying their shoes. Eddie was laughing at something, Lily pointing.

Them sitting at a table, eating lunch afterward. Lily’s face smeared with food, Amelia sneaking a look at her phone. Eddie pressed into Richie’s side in the cozy booth, leaning forwards with a napkin to help Lily clean her cheeks.

A photo of when they had left the hospital with Amelia. She was wearing Richie’s over-sized jean jacket, almost drowning in it. Richie had his arm around her, shielding her from the camera. Eddie a few steps ahead from them, opening the car door.

There was even one of them going shopping in a delicatessen store when Eddie had been searching for some rare spices. Richie was grinning at him, teasing. Eddie huffing and bumping their shoulders together, also smiling.

Another one from the beach. This time, Eddie helping Lily into her shoes, while Richie was busy rubbing away the sand from between his toes.

“We look like a family,” Richie said, sounding almost wistful. 

“How did they even get all these pictures?”

“People have phones, Spaghetti-Man.” Richie took Eddie’s phone, scrolled through the pictures again. “Don’t fret too much about it.”

He kind of wished it was the good-ol’ times. If this had been a magazine, he would have ripped the article out and framed it, put it on the desk in his office.

“I can’t believe it. The kids- their privacy- it’s…”

“They’re used to it.” Richie paused, staring at Eddie’s smile on the screen. “Don’t worry. Amelia will be happy to have a few new followers on Instagram.”

Quiet. Richie looked up, caught Eddie watching him.

“They’re cute photos,” he said, mostly just to fill the silence. “Very candid.”

Eddie didn’t divert his gaze, looked back at Richie. Unblinking. Richie wanted to make a joke, say something stupid. Heartbeat quickening, he couldn’t think of anything witty or smart or senseless enough to be funny.

“Do you think we could get them?” Eddie asked. “I would like to start a photo album.”

Richie felt himself lean forward, closer to Eddie. An invisible pull. “I could try.”

They were still looking at each other. Eddie’s eyes glittering in the warm light of Richie’s bedside lamp.

“A photo album?”

“Yeah.”

“I love the idea.” Richie’s voice was weird, throaty. Emotional. “A family photo album. I’ve always wanted to make one. Instead I have billions of pictures on hard drives.”

“We could do it together? I would really like to see pictures of the girls growing up.”

“It would take forever.”

Eddie leaned in, conspiratorial. “I wouldn’t mind that at all.” He had always been the more courageous one.

“What exactly?” Richie sounded croaky, betraying his nerves.

“Forever.”

Richie felt stupidly emotional. Not much more and he would be a blubbering mess. “Me neither, Eds.”

Eddie smiled, gentle and beautiful. He patted Richie’s knee beneath the blanket and rose from the bed. “Good night, Richie.”

“Good night, Eddie.” 

_Please, don’t leave._

But Richie knew a tactical retreat when he saw one. He was too overwhelmed to protest, to demand more attention. Endless attention.

  
On Saturday they went on a small hike that ended up lasting multiple hours. Lily fell asleep on the drive back to LA, Amelia busy looking through her phone. 

Sunday, Richie located his multiple hard drives of pictures and dumped them on the breakfast bar. Eddie who was making smoothies with Lily only grinned at him, obviously pleased at the quantity. 

“I also got the photos from the article.”

And thus they started. Lily got bored after about five minutes and Richie organized a spontaneous play-date with some of her friends. After dropping her off, they had the house to themselves. Amelia was out about town with Angel and some other friends.

Sprawling on the sofa, they snacked on smoked-pepper-garlic hummus and carrots, Richie’s laptop between them.

“They’re actually sorted by year,” Eddie said, surprised, and Richie winked at him. 

“Impressed?”

“By a modicum of organization?” He huffed. “That’s not something to be proud of, Rich.”

Richie knew he was impressed though. And obviously Richie was proud of it.

“Fair warning.” Richie stopped before clicking on the first picture of his children that he had ever taken. “Amelia had a pretty rough childhood, and even after I managed to get a hold of her and pull her out of the system we had a though start.”

“How old was she?”

“Almost seven.” Richie double-clicked on the photo and it popped up. “I had been really good friends with her mom during my first few years in LA. She kinda showed me around.”

Amelia was standing in the pink monstrosity of a tiny bedroom, filled with all the Disney princess stuff Richie had been able to find - which was a lot. Girls liked Disney, Richie had thought, and pink. Amelia looked lost, tiny. Her hair shorn because there had been lice at the last foster home, clothes hanging on her way too skinny body. Shoulders hunched, face drawn. Ready to run.

“Sue – her mother – disappeared when she got pregnant from some douche who was hitting her around. Years later she called me after almost dying from an overdose, begged me to go and save her daughter.” Richie shrugged. “My career had just started to really take off, and I felt like I was able to help. It all developed from there.”

“Jesus.” Eddie leaned in. “Her eyes were huge.”

Richie skipped to the next one. A snapshot of Amelia, barely visible beyond a mountain of fast food. There was a tentative smile on her lips.

“I tried to make her comfortable.” Richie sighed. “But she had been in the system for a while and was understandably slow to trust me. I think it helped that I noticed she wasn’t the biggest Disney fan and offered we could change the color of her room. We bonded a lot on the day we painted her walls.”

The next pictured showed Amelia from the back, newspaper hat on her growing hair and the wall a calming blue. Her clothes streaked with paint.

“It was a mess.” 

They both chuckled. Richie clicked through a few pictures of Amelia slowly settling into her new home. You could see in her eyes that she was growing to trust Richie, feeling more comfortable, smiling more freely. 

First day of school. An overcast afternoon at the beach building sandcastles – which had been her request, apparently she had never been to the sea before. A selfie of them both on the Santa Monica Pier. Go-cart, a trip to the movies, her seventh birthday.

At the photo of them both in front of the courthouse, smiling brightly at the camera, Richie with tears in his eyes and Amelia clinging to his hand – he stopped. “That was the day the adoption went through.”

Eddie reached out and traced their faces on the screen. “You look really happy.”

Clearing his throat, Richie smiled at his younger self. “I had just become a Dad. It was the best day of my life.”

They continued and soon reached photographs of the move to a bigger apartment, and the first appearance of Angel, the child of their new neighbors. 

“Those two were thick-as-thieves from the day they met.” Richie loved the picture of the kids dressed up as pirates for Halloween. José and his ex-wife Maria in the background, laughing, eating candy.

“José is married?”

Richie looked up. “Got divorced last year. Maria left him for this dude with connections in Hollywood. She had always dreamed about becoming a starlet. I think she actually landed a role in some sitcom or something. Very minor. Must’ve been disappointing.”

“Hm.” Eddie didn’t lift his gaze from the laptop screen, his face weirdly devoid of expression.

“Why?”

“Just curious.”

“Sure, Eds. Sure.”

Eddie bared his teeth at him. “Fuck off, Fuckface.”

Richie laughed at him. “Wanna see some more?”

They had been looking at photos for over two hours by now.

“A few more, yeah. But I’ll need to start dinner soon.”

“I’ll help you.” Richie wasn’t ready to lose Eddie’s proximity. Even though they were on different sides of the laptop, he could still feel Eddie’s body heat, and it was a delight to watch the laugh lines on his face form and smooth out again.

Eddie gave him a Look. Then he motioned for him to continue to the next photo. 

They made it all the way to the ten-day-vacation in Rome, which was about a thousand pictures in and of itself.

“How many?” Eddie asked, shocked.

“About a thousand, maybe a thousand-two-hundred. Amelia discovered photography, so quiet a few are blurry but I couldn’t bring myself to delete them.”

“Jeez, wow. We could do a whole photo album just for that.”

Richie considered it. “I think that would be a good idea. Amelia still talks about the trip, it left a deep impression.”

Eddie groaned. “At this rate we will end up with a dozen photo albums.”

Smiling innocently, Richie closed the laptop. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Eddie kicked him but Richie just caught his ankle, holding on to the by now familiar part of Eddie’s body. There was a sudden urge to kiss it, pull up the sweat pants and plant a smacking kiss on the skin above the bone. He was sure Eddie’s reaction would be hilarious. Something in the other man’s eyes stopped him though.

  
Over the course of the next week, they settled back into their rhythm with the only difference being that they spent a couple of hours every day looking at photos. Eddie insisted on a few express prints which needed to be framed as soon as possible. 

The photos of both adoption days found their new home in a prominent spot on the kitchen wall, and a picture of all four of them on the beach was now standing on the coffee table. Richie loved it, the girls did too, though Amelia cringed a little at her own goofy expression. He sometimes spotted Eddie smiling at it.

They were all sitting on the sofa watching a movie on Saturday evening, when Eddie’s phone rang. Richie was sure it was one of the Losers checking in but as soon as Eddie saw the caller ID, he got up and disappeared. 

Looking up from her phone, Amelia turned to watch him leave.

“That’s not good,” she said.

It wasn’t.

Eddie came back downstairs after the credits had already rolled. “I have to go to New York. My lawyer called. We have an appointment on Wednesday, a court date later the week.”

“This Wednesday?” Amelia asked.

“Yes.”

Lily looked at him with big, watering eyes. “You can’t go! You have to stay here!”

“I’ll come back,” Eddie promised and patted her head. “Saturday at the latest.”

“Saturday?” Lily’s voice was mournful. “But that’s forever away.”

Eddie plopped down on the sofa and pulled her into his lap. Watching, Richie felt his heart ache. She clung to him like a koala. 

“Do you want me to read your bedtime story tonight?”

Lily nodded against his sweater, burying herself into him even more. There was some mumbling Richie didn’t understand but Eddie rubbed her back, soothed her with quiet words.

Richie already knew that Eddie being gone would be a disaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, apparently 2020 was not done with me yet. Lol.
> 
> Anyways, the good news is: It's done! I'll be uploading the next chapters every other day or so. They still need some editing, but I finished writing. I hope you'll enjoy the grand finale. There is actually some plot, and who woulda thought that'd ever happen.
> 
> To anyone who stuck around and is reading this right now. Enjoy! The next few chapters will be a doozy.


	18. Don't Forget to Tell Me Goodnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhmm, drama? Plot? A hint of angst? In this fic?? 
> 
> Yessire
> 
> ~Richie POV~

“There is food in the freezer,” Eddie said - not for the first time.

“I know.” Richie gently pushed him towards the front door and his luggage. “I watched you meal-prep. It’s like we’re expecting to host a party or something. I think there is enough food to last us until the forth of July.”

Eddie huffed at him. “Don’t forget to drink enough water. And don’t just start ordering in again.”

Richie renewed his effort of nudging Eddie forward. “We won’t starve while you’re gone, I promise. Do you have your phone?”

It wasn’t a serious question. Eddie had already triple-checked his bags, and if they left now they would arrive at the airport two hours early. Richie knew Eddie had probably planned for everything to go wrong and he’d still arrive in time for his flight. Including earthquakes and whatnot. 

Eddie patted the pocket of his pants. “All there.”

  
It was only when Richie returned to an empty house, the taste of burnt airport coffee still lingering in his mouth, that the reality of it all started to sink in. There would be no one to passive-aggressively place a bowl of cut up fruit next to his second coffee of the morning, no one to nag him to sit straight or do the dishes. He was alone again. Nobody to watch a movie with in the evenings when Lily was already in bed and Amelia preferred to skype with her friends.

He instantly felt lonely. The house too quiet without Eddie bustling around. Putting on music wasn’t enough to silence the emptiness.

He was counting the hours until he could leave to get the girls from school. Tried to busy himself with work even though there wasn’t a lot of work that needed to do be done. Eventually, he gave up and packed his bag to go to the coffee shop close to Lily’s school. Once there, he called José to set up their usual lunch meetings again.

“Where is Eddie?”

“Gone.” Richie sounded miserable. He cleared his throat and tried for a less pitiful tone. “He’s got some business to take care of back in New York.”

“When will he come back?” 

“_Don’t kick me when I’m down~_” Richie crooned, his singing off tune and horrible.

José laughed.

“Hopefully, on Saturday.” Richie changed his phone to the other ear to dig his card out of his pocket and pay for his coffee. “He said maybe later, because he’s gotta show up at work or something.”

Looking around, he spotted an empty seat at the window.

“You’ve got it bad, my friend,” José said, teasing him. “I’ve never seen you mooning over someone this hard.”

“I’m not mooning, darlin’.” Richie sat down, took a sip of his coffee. “A fine lady like me? I’m above such undignified acts.”

“Richard.”

“JOSEPH.”

“You are swooning like my sixteen year-old teenager over this new boy in school.”

“Eddie said, Damian is a nice kid. Apparently, he helped wash the dishes.”

“Don’t try and change the subject.”

Richie took another, lengthy swallow of his cappuccino. “Fuck!”

“What?”

“I ordered my coffee with oat milk.”

José’s chuckling soon grew into a boisterous laughter. “I cannot- believe this!” He wheezed. “You’re totally smitten!”

“I told you, Eddie is a childhood friend.”

“Your definition of ‘friend’ has always been a weird one.”

Looking at his coffee, Richie chuckled. “I proposed to him.”

“What?” Now José sounded seriously shocked. “You did what?”

“Not now. Back when we were kids. Teens. Before he moved away. I found this cheep metal ring on the sidewalk. He said yes - and he kept the ring.” Richie still couldn’t believe it.

“Wow.” José took a moment to reply. “He kept the ring?”

“Yeah, we’d been dating for like three days by then.”

“You’d been dating?”

“Ugh, yeah. Forgot to mention.”

“Jesus, Richard!”

“Yeah, I know.”

José muttered something in Spanish and Richie’s eyes wandered to the clock.

“Shit, José! I gotta go! Lily’s school let’s out in a few minutes. See you tomorrow for lunch?”

“Yeah, sure.”

They hung up and Richie sprinted out the door to the car - into the waiting arms of a parking ticket.

  
Dinner was a sad affair. Eddie seemed to still be in the meeting with his lawyer because none of them were able to reach him. The only messages Richie had gotten all day, were a simple ‘_I arrived_’ and ominous ‘_Do you think it is legal to put cacti in your luggage?_’. Both of his daughters were unusually quiet, eating the warmed-up meal like it was their Last Supper.

Later while brushing her teeth, Lily looked at him with the most soulful eyes and asked: “Do you think Eddie will forget to tell me goodnight?” 

It broke Richie’s heart.

He had to try three times, until Eddie picked up. 

“Is everyone okay? Did something happen?” Worried whispers, like someone he didn’t want to listen in was nearby. 

Richie made sure Lily was still busy changing into her pjs. Softly closed the door. 

“Hey, Eds. What are you up to? It’s late.”

“Late?” A second of silence. “Oh, shit. Is Lily in bed already? Wait!”

Muffled voices like he was holding the phone’s speakers against his chest. Angry. Shrill. 

A door slammed shut. “Sorry, now I can talk.”

“Eddie?” Richie swallowed. “Was that Myra?”

“What? Yeah, our lawyers organized a meeting. Jeez, it’s been going on for hours.”

“Did you eat yet?”

“Not really, but now that you mention it- I’m starving.”

“We had some of that stew that you left in the fridge for dinner. It was great.” Richie didn’t mention that he almost caved and ordered Chinese. Amelia had insisted on warming up Eddie’s food though, and as usual there was no arguing with her.

“Daddy?” Lily opened the door. “I’m ready.” 

When she saw that he was on the phone, her face brightened. 

“Is that Eddie?” she whispered at the same moment Eddie asked: “Was that Lily?”

Richie offered the phone to his daughter. “He wants to wish you sweet dreams.”

It was already late, later than Lily’s usual bedtime as she had tried to draw the evening out, waiting for Eddie’s phone call. Now she was yawning after ever sentence, and Richie tucked her into bed while she was still talking to Eddie. It was no surprise that she fell asleep with the phone pressed to her ear. Richie gently kissed her forehead and pulled it away from her sleep-slack fingers.

“Eds?”

“Hey, Richie.” His voice was impossibly soft. “I think she fell asleep mid-sentence.”

Smiling, Richie turned off the ceiling light and closed the door behind him. “That she did.”

“I should have kept an eye on the time. I’m sorry, Rich.”

“It’s okay, Eddie-Spaghetti.” He came to a stop in front of Amelia’s door. “Wanna talk to Ami too?”

After talking with Amelia for some time, Eddie had to go. Richie could hear Myra’s voice in the background.

“Just remember to eat something,” Richie said before hanging up.

Eddie chuckled. “Stop nagging, old man.”

“Your Mom thinks I’m a whippersnapper.”

“Oh God, shut up!”

“Give her a kiss from me, why don’t chu?”

Eddie hung up on him after that. Smiling, Richie went to grab a glass of sparkling, sugary soda and sat his lonely ass down on the rocking chair in the garden. Sitting on the sofa, he’d only start missing Eddie’s feet beneath his thighs. The city-darkness outside was better. Safer.

  
Time slowed to a crawl, the days feeling bloated and unnecessarily drawn out. Saturday came and went without Eddie returning home. 

Richie tried to console Lily by taking her to the museum, which helped at least for the time they were there. Amelia spent the weekend at Angel’s place, making the house feel almost deserted.

Every night, Eddie called to wish Lily a goodnight, and Richie knew he was talking with Amelia because she would randomly mention things about New York. He rarely seemed to find the time to talk to Richie though. If he did it was never for more than ten minutes, and the longer he was gone the more distant he started to sound. Richie felt like he was slowly loosing him.

Tuesday night the following week he snapped. “Do you even _want_ to come back?”

Lily had just settled into sleep, and Richie was pacing in the hallway outside her door. Just a few seconds ago, Eddie had tried to say goodbye. 

Silence.

Then: “What the fuck, Richie?”

Emotion. Richie was drinking it up. Anything was better than the empty words of the last few days.

“You just don’t seem very eager.”

“You have no idea what is going on here right now! How the FUCK-”

“Of course I don’t have any fucking last clue about whats happening! You won’t fucking talk to me!” Richie stomped his way down the stairs into the living room.

“You don’t want to know! Trust me!” Eddie’s anger was turning into rage. Richie could hear it.

“Yes, I do! Fuck, Eddie! I care about what is going on in your fucking life, okay?”

Eddie growled. “Myra wants to press charges, alright? There, I said it! Are you happy now? She is trying to tell everyone I fucking abused her!”

“What the fuck?” Richie felt ready to punch a wall. “This bitch!”

Eddie’s laugh was hollow. “My lawyer says with this new development the divorce might drag on for another year. A fucking year, Richie! They might get me sentenced for spousal abuse. And then they got hold of the article about us yesterday, and now it’s all about how I was cheating on her, and how I’m a fucking homosexual. A disgusting abomination! A freak of nature!”

At that, Richie felt a deep rage blossoming in his chest. He was starting to shake.

“Eddie! Listen to me! Are you fucking listening? You are not an abomination and no fucking freak! Do you get that! I fucking love you okay? Don’t listen to these assholes!”

Quiet. Then a slightly wet laugh. “Your timing sucks, Richie. Why does your timing always suck?”

“My timing is fucking brilliant!”

“What am I gonna do now?” Eddie sounded like he had started pacing. “My lawyer says, I shouldn’t move out of town. It would be bad for my image. And we- the article…”

Richie leaned against the wall. Took a deep breath to prepare himself for what he was about to say. “You’ve got the whole Losers Club behind you, Eds. We’re going to fucking wipe the Broadway with their asses. Doesn’t matter what it takes, we’ll be there for you. I can wait, and I promise the girls will understand. About the article- Rumors like that are hard to dispel. Hollywood loves to gossip. But like, I can call a friend, go to a few clubs. Assure the peeps I’m still single and ready to mingle.”

It felt like his world was crashing down. Richie distinctly remembered a feeling similar to it from when Eddie had moved away all those years ago.

“Just-” Richie swallowed around something heavy in his throat. “Promise me you won’t throw the ring away?”

It was a plea. 

“Of course not. But-” Eddie’s voice was rough. “I want to come home.”

Richie inhaled sharply. “Jeez, fuck. Eds. Don’t say stuff like that.”

“I don’t want to fucking waste any more of my life dealing with Myra!” Something crashed in the background. “I’ve got enough! I was finally fucking happy! And she’s taking it from me all over again!”

Richie slid to the floor from where he was leaning against the wall, suddenly too overwhelmed to keep standing. “Eddie.”

“What?”

“You gotta be smart about this, Spaghetti-Man. Don’t let her ruin you.”

“But I- I didn’t make enough food to last you that long. And Amelia is turning sixteen in a few months.”

Richie tried to control his breathing. His chest hurt like he might just be having a heart attack. 

“You can still call. And I’m sure a visit or two will be fine. Just-” Richie had to take a second to rub at his sternum. “I don’t know either, Eddie. Let’s call the Losers tomorrow and make a plan, huh? I’m sure they’ll have some ideas.”

“What if Lily forgets me?”

“She would never, Eds. You’ve got a special place in her heart.”

A shaky breath. “What about our photo albums?”

Richie pressed his hand harder against his chest, desperate to quell the radiating pain. “We’ve got forever. Remember?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Upps, I guess. This all just kinda happened, I didn't really plan on it.  
And now this... A cliffhanger-


	19. Sweet Pea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What now?
> 
> ~Richie POV~

“Is everything okay?” Richie looked up from the floor to see Amelia standing on the stairs, a dawning look of horror on her face. “I heard loud voices.”

She was already in her pjs, worn sweat pants and one of Richie’s favorite t-shirts. Her hair in a messy bun, glasses askew over big, scared eyes.

“Everything will be fine, sweet pea.”

Squinting at him to hide her fear, Amelia’s shoulders hunched. “What happened?”

“Eddie ran into some troubles with his divorce.” Richie shuddered, his hand was still pressed against his chest. “He might not come back for a while.”

“Oh, Dad.” She hurried to him, skidding the last few feet to him on her knees.

Her arms were thin but so, so strong. She hugged him, held him together while everything he wanted was to shudder apart.

“How do I miss him so much already?” he whispered into the barely lit, empty downstairs.

“He won’t come back at all? Are you sure?”

“I’ll talk to some friends tomorrow, maybe someone has an idea.” Richie allowed himself a moment to hold his daughter close before heaving them both up and off the floor. “But we might have to wait until the divorce is finalized.”

“How- how long could that take?”

“A year? Six months? I’m not really sure.”

“Shit!”

“Yeah.” Richie filled a couple of glasses with water, for the most part just to keep himself busy, moving. “He would come down here for your birthday though. We already talked about it.”

Amelia took the offered glass. “My birthday is in _June_.”

Rubbing his chest again, Richie gripped his own glass like it was a lifeline. “I know, sweet pea.”

“That sucks balls!”

“Major.”

Amelia took off her glasses to rub her eyes. “Fuck. Dad. Lily will hate that.”

Richie swallowed, and swallowed again. Against the defeat, the tears. 

“She loves him.”

“I know, sweet pea. I know.”

“Fuck!”

They stood there for a while. Richie distractedly pressing a hand against his chest, and Amelia staring at the only light illuminating the whole downstairs. A few round lamps set into the ceiling above the kitchen. Blinking, she eventually diverted her gaze.

“This is so fucked up.” She dragged her finger through a drop of water on the counter. “Why can I only think about who will cook from now on?”

A breathy laugh. “Because it doesn’t feel real yet. It’ll need time to settle in.”

“Lily will throw the worst tantrum ever.”

“Yeah.” Richie put the glass to his lips even though he didn’t really feel like drinking anything.

Amelia traced a pattern with the water from her drop. “He wasn’t even here for a month. It feels so much longer.” 

A month? To Richie it had felt like a lifetime.

“Ami?”

“Yeah, Dad?”

“When this is all over- and Eddie still wants to come back, do you think- would it be okay for you- if we- if I-”

Amelia looked up from the pattern she was tracing. “Yes. Of course, Dad. I- I would be happy for you.”

  
With all of the Losers willing to testify and give character witnesses, Eddie’s lawyer seemed positive that Myra had no chance to get far with the abuse claim. It was a small mercy and it didn’t change the fact that the whole process would be drawn out over months.

Lily took the news badly. She stopped talking to Richie and refused any call from Eddie. The only one able to reach her was Amelia. Still, it took one whole day until she broke and finally screamed all her anger out. Richie had to make her a tea with honey afterward, because she had lost her voice to nothing but a whisper. Then she cried. Gut-wrenching, heart-breaking sobs. That evening Eddie was allowed to read her a goodnight story via Skype. His eyes were so sad when he saw her red, puffy cheeks and swollen eyes that Richie couldn’t bear to look at either of them.

“She will always remember how I hurt her,” Eddie said that night, after Lily had fallen asleep. “It’s something she’ll never forget.”

Richie sat cross-legged on his bed, laptop open in front of him. “She still loves you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” Richie tried a careful smile. “I’ll try to explain it to her again tomorrow. She might be young but as long as she understands that you didn’t leave her on purpose, she will forgive you.”

Eddie rubbed his temple. There were new lines forming on his forehead. He looked tired. Exhausted even.

“Ami wanted me to ask you for some recipes.” Richie leaned back against the headboard. “I think she wants to try cooking dinner.”

“She could totally do it.”

“I’ll eat whatever she puts in front of me as long as it isn’t too charred.”

Eddie huffed a laugh. “I’m sure she will surprise you.”

“Positively, I hope.”

“Why didn’t she ask me herself?”

Shrugging, Richie tried not to stare at Eddie’s cozy looking sweater, wondering how it would feel against his skin. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s shy? Or afraid that you would judge her if she fucks up? Who knows.”

  
They ran out of Eddie’s meal prep after about a week. Amelia tried her hand at cooking dinner, and with Eddie on video call it worked out like a charm. The food was delicious. But Amelia soon discovered that it was mountain of work and dropped it like a hot potato. She looked somewhat guilty about it, and it took some reassuring from Richie and Eddie that they both understood. 

Nevertheless, she seemed to have discovered a new hobby and it kind of became a Friday night staple. Sometimes she also made lunch or dinner on the weekends when she wasn’t busy with friends or writing. But Friday was a constant. At five pm sharp she would traipse down the stairs with her laptop under her arm and set up camp in the kitchen. Eddie watched, and offered directions but for the most part they just chatted about Amelia’s week. What happened in school? How was Angel? Did she like writing the theater play with Johnny? Was there any development in the Matilde situation? Homework, papers, the future. A new movie that came out. 

Richie held back during those calls. It was Amelia-Eddie time and he adored that. Though sometimes he couldn’t help himself and sneaked into the kitchen, stealing food from the pan and getting on both their nerves.

Besides Amelia’s cooking it was back to take-out and cereal. Richie was aghast to discover how salty and overly sweet everything not home-cooked now tasted. He was even more shocked when he found himself snacking on the carrot sticks that he had originally bought for the girls’ lunch boxes. And yeah, latter he kept up even after Eddie had left. It wasn’t anything as fancy as when Eddie had made them. The other man would stone him though, should he stop adding fresh berries and cut up fruit or fresh veggies with some kind of dip to the girls’ daily diet.

For the first few weeks, Eddie was required to read Lily to sleep every night. He would sit on the sofa in his sad looking, grey-scale apartment and show her the new books that he had bought just for her. While reading, she would often interrupt to tell him about her day, her friends and foes, the adorable mouse they now had as a pet in her homeroom class. Eddie would watch her gesticulate - sometimes even jump up and down on bed - with a warm smile that made Richie yearn.

He and Eddie talked as well, but it was weird and Richie just ended up missing him more every time he heard him talk shit, or hum along to his weird music playing along in the background. José told him to stop moping at least twice a week. They were back to their usual lunch meetings close to José’s firm and once they even bundled up all the kids and drove out for a weekend trip together. Still, Richie was lonely. He had been single most of his life, save a few catastrophes that he preferred to leave in the past and neither talk nor think about, but living with Eddie had filled a hole in his life he hadn’t been aware even existed. And now, when he was dreaming about Eddie dying in 29 Neibolt street, he woke up to an empty room and an aching heart.

Amelia’s cast came of three weeks after Eddie had left. They celebrated by going out for dinner, though they avoided the places they had been to with Eddie.

By the end of May, Richie had had enough. He took the girls out of school for a couple of days and booked them tickets to New York.

“You what?”

“We’ll land around ten pm on Wednesday.”

Eddie huffed. “That’s in two days.”

“I am aware, oh you All-seeing All-knowing.”

“But that’s- it’s too late.”

“What?”

“Lily’s bedtime-”

Richie laughed. “It’ll be fine, Eds. The girls miss you, so we’re going to visit.”

“I will come to LA in just a few weeks for Ami’s birthday.”

“I know, I know. But we all need a break from this city. I mean you are aware how the Matilde thing is escalating, and Lily is starting to ask whether you’ve died and the world beyond the screen is the afterlife. She is convinced that’s why you can’t come back.”

Eddie was quiet for a moment. “So you’re coming to visit?” 

“Yeah, Eds. We’ll get on your nerves so bad you can’t wait for us to leave again.”

“Okay. I’ll come and pick you up from the airport.”

“Sweet, thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moving towards the end here peeps. What a thing to witness.
> 
> Next up: NEW YORK!!!


	20. New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days that pass too fast.
> 
> ~Eddie POV~

Eddie was nervous. He had spent the whole day cleaning, vacuuming the apartment twice even though it hadn’t needed it at all. Now everything was sparkling clean and it was finally evening.

Checking his backpack, Eddie made to leave. He would have to wait for some time at the airport but he didn’t mind. Anything was better than staring at the bare walls of his apartment, counting the seconds.

After a cheep, perfumed tea at an airport cafe, he slowly made his way to the arrivals. Two months. It had been two months since he left LA. Long enough for some of Lily’s teeth to grow in and another one to fall out. He had expressed worry to Richie for the speed she was loosing her teeth at, which the man had laughed at.

“Kids grow up fast,” he had said. “And her dentist doesn’t seem to worry.”

Eddie started pacing, walking up and down the hallway in front of the doors to the baggage claim. The notification that the airplane was landing, switched to _BAGGAGE_. 

“Who are you waiting for?” an older woman asked him, after he had passed her for the third time. “Your wife? Girlfriend?”

Eddie froze. The woman’s smile was gentle, open.

“My family. I’m waiting for my family.”

“Oh, that is nice.” She leaned towards him, conspiratorially. “My friend Jo is coming for her first visit to New York. I haven’t seen her in ten years.”

“Ten years?”

“We had a big, ugly fight.” The woman smiled. “It was stupid. About her girlfriend at the time. It took me years to realize I was just jealous.”

Eddie blinked at her, trying not to gape. 

The woman chuckled. “I know that expression. My son looked at me just like you are now.”

“I-” Eddie didn’t know what to say. “I can recommend you the Trattoria of fifth if you’re interested in a good Italian restaurant. They have a quite, intimate atmosphere and the best Gnocchi in the city - perfect for a date.”

She laughed and pushed a lock of her long, white hair behind her ear. “That sounds lovely. Thank you.”

“Eddie!”

Eddie’s head whipped up, his heart skipping a beat. Lily was barely more than a blur of brown and green, running towards him at top speed. Crouching, Eddie let hear leap into his arms and swung her around. Her legs wound around his middle and she hugged him so strong that it hurt. In a good way though. It felt real.

Eddie buried his face in her afro, held her close. She smelled like strawberry toothpaste and cocoa butter. And like home. The laundry detergent Richie used, his aftershave, and lemongrass. Eddie felt himself choke up.

“Hey, bug.” He settled her on his hip, not ready to let her go again yet. “How was your flight?”

“Boooooring!” She patted his cheek and hair, like she couldn’t believe he was real. “And soooo looooong! And the food was disgusting!”

Eddie let her sticky hands mess up his hair and couldn’t bring himself to mind it one bit. His eyes were searching the emerging crowd for Amelia and Richie. Instead he saw a dignified woman with silver-blond hair, pull the woman from earlier into a long, tender hug.

“Hi, Gracie,” he heard her say. “It’s good to finally see you again. You look stunning!”

That was the moment he realized why she had looked familiar to him all along. Grace Westworld, New York Times bestselling author and host of the only cooking show he had ever enjoyed watching. She looked different in person, less strict.

“Daddy and Ami are getting the bags.” Lily’s small fingernails were digging into the skin of his shoulder. “There they are! I can see them! Daddy!”

Eddie lifted his gaze from Joanne Belle Peterson, renown Hollywood actress of the early 2000s, smiling at Grace Westworld, his favorite TV hostess, and searched the crowd again. There they were. Looking tired and rumpled from the flight.

Amelia was the first to reach them, and Eddie put Lily down so he could hug her. She’d cut her hair into a short messy bob, and had gotten new glasses that looked even more 80s than the last ones.

“Hi Ami.”

She hugged him harder for a moment, before stepping back. “Hey Eds. How’s it going?”

“Here.” He pushed his backpack at her. “I made you some snacks in case you’re still hungry. There is some water in there as well.”

“Muffins?” Lily made grabby hands at the bag.

“Yeah.” Eddie smiled at the girls, feeling unreasonably proud. “Blueberry and some chocolate ones as well.”

Watching them tear into the backpack, eager for his baking, was more satisfying than any promotion he had ever gotten.

“Hey Eddie.”

He almost didn’t dare to look at Richie. “Hey.”

Richie gave him an awkward wave, his lanky frame moving like on puppet strings.

“Oh maw gawd!” Amelia had found the muffins, her mouth stuffed, eyes closed in bliss. “So good.”

“Gimme one! Gimme, gimme, gimme!” Lily was hopping from one foot to the other. “Come on, Ami! I want one too!”

Richie chuckled at their antics. Somehow they had missed the right timing for a hug. 

Pointing towards the sign for the car park, Eddie grabbed Amelia’s suitcase. “Let’s go. You can eat in the car.”

  
Richie had booked them into two conjoining rooms at a hotel only a block from Eddie’s apartment. On the drive there, Lily had fallen asleep, half a muffin and a sea of crumbs on her lap. She was strapped into the car seat Eddie had borrowed from a work colleague, who had eyed him with interest but refrained from asking questions. 

Feeling unsure whether to accompany them inside, Eddie watched Richie lean down and lift Lily from her seat. She snuffled but didn’t wake up, a dead weight against the man’s chest. When Eddie saw Amelia struggling with their bags, he hurried to help. 

In the end, he watched Richie sign them in one-handedly like he had done so many times before and then tagged along all the way upstairs to their rooms. Lily was disoriented when Richie woke her to change into pjs and brush her teeth but once she laid eyes on Eddie she smiled.

They stayed until she had fallen asleep again, Amelia yawning along. 

“Sweet dreams, Ami,” Richie whispered before leaving the room.

Amelia looked up from where she was scrolling through her phone on the second bed. “Good night Richie, Eddie.” 

Eddie smiled. “Good night.”

It left a bubbly feeling in his chest. Family.

In Richie’s room he came to a stop somewhere in the middle. Once again unsure what to do with himself.

“Wanna stay for a while?” Richie asked. He had his bag open on the foot of the bed, searching for something.

“I think you should go to sleep.” Eddie edged towards the door. “It’s already past midnight.”

Richie turned around to him, the bags under his eyes stark in the low light. He looked like he wanted to say something but nothing came.

“You- you’ve got my address. Just come over when you’re all up, I’ll make some breakfast.”

Richie sighed and it sounded sad. “Okay. Sure. I’ll text you when we leave. Good night, Eds.”

Swallowing, Eddie leaned his back against the door, hand on the knob. He didn’t want to leave. Leaving felt wrong. Staying didn’t feel right either though.

“Good night, Richie.” 

He had so much to say to the man but it all boiled down to something he wasn’t ready to put into words yet. So he just left.

  
It was still early in the morning when he started up breakfast. The plan was abundance. That was it. A little bit of everything.

Waffles, pancakes, fruit salad, berries. Some muffins that were leftover from yesterday. German bread he had made, with hummus and some other spreads. There were homemade granola, and the tomato salad Richie always went on an on about when talking about Italy. He had juices, and tea, and water with mint leaves and lemon slices.

It felt great to finally be able to cook for someone again. After coming back to New York it had taken him almost a full week until he had braved the kitchen for just himself, too exhausted and depressed to cook or bake anything. Instead he had thrown himself into work, only eating one meal a day and that most of the time at work or his favorite restaurant a few blocks away.

The bell rung. Eddie took a deep breath, slipped out of his apron and went to open the door.

“Oh dungbeetle!” Amelia pushed past him with something like a half-hug. “This smells amazing!”

“Eddie!” Lily latched on to his hip, and god, she had grown since he had left LA. How had he not noticed last night?

He bent down and picked her up. “Good morning, bug. How did you sleep?” 

“I dreamed about you! You were a banana!”

Richie chuckled. He looked rested. His hair still wet from a shower, glasses slightly off-balance. Eddie’s fingers itched to push them into the right spot. 

With a slight start, Eddie realized he was wearing the ‘Frankie Says Relax’ t-shirt. It was probably not the original because Eddie doubted it was still in such pristine condition after all those years but still. Just seeing Richie in it… 

Breakfast stretched into brunch, and finally Eddie had to usher them out of the flat, otherwise the whole day would be spent just with them eating. Not the worst but Amelia had made a list of all the places she wanted to see in the city. A long list.

Central Park, the Stonewall Inn, China Town, and the 9/11 memorial. The Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, some skate-park Eddie had never heard of before, Queens in general, Chelsea and many more. It seemed endless and without any order. She also insisted they take public transport, and maybe one taxi. For the experience. 

Eddie would have organized a limousine, had she asked for it. There was little he wouldn’t do to make this visit the best it could possibly be for the girls. 

Over dinner that evening - pizza of course - he surprised Amelia with tickets to Hamlet. She had been talking about it since months.

“Oh, God, Eddie! This is so effing cool!” She beamed at him. “Gosh, my friends will hate me! This is great.”

  
Eddie was watching Lily and Amelia wait in line at the Bubble Tea shop, when Richie bumped their shoulders together. They were in the heart of China Town. It was Saturday already. Time had slipped away, and Eddie felt hollow at the idea of seeing them off again tomorrow. He desperately wanted them to stay longer, more than that he wanted to leave with them. What he didn’t want was to be alone again.

Richie bumped their shoulders once more. He had a Canon camera in his hands, ready to snap a picture at a moments notice.

“Eddie,” he said, his voice grave. “I am sorry to tell you, but I think I’ve taken over five hundred pictures in the last few days. Not counting the ones on my phone. Or the ones Amelia took on hers.”

He turned around, snapped a close-up picture of Eddie’s frown. 

Eying the picture on the little screen, he sighed. “We will have to make a photo album of it.”

Eddie rolled his eyes at him. “Shut up, Trashmouth.”

The idea filled him with anticipation. He was already looking forward to it. They shared a private smile.

“Daddy! Look!” Lily was running towards them, her drink held up high. “It’s purple!”

  
That evening he and Amelia were walking over the brightly lit Times Square, her father’s camera heavy around her neck. Richie was back at the hotel, watching over a sleeping Lily. He had declined when Eddie had offered the tickets he had originally bought for father and daughter, insisting Eddie should go with her instead.

Amelia was still talking about the show, giddy and with big, gleaming eyes. 

They stopped so she could take a few photos of the people and the lights. From somewhere a street musician’s drumming filled the air.

“You know,” she said, “I really can’t wait until you move to LA.”

He watched her as she was slowly circling, taking in the late-night square.

“Richie’s gone kinda quite the last few months. It’s weird. And I think he’s stuck, last week he said something about not being able to think of any new material.”

Eddie turned to look up at the billboards and ads. “You sure, you want me to move in with you? I can be a pain in the ass.”

Chuckling, she lifted the camera and leaned back to take a picture of the night sky above them. “Damn, fucking sure. Dad misses you. I know he’s bad at like articulating his feelings and stuff - but yeah. I think he’s afraid you’ll change your mind. That you don’t actually wanna come back.”

Eddie hummed. They were both bad at talking about _feelings and stuff_.

“You do want to come back, right?” Her eyes were reflecting the red light of a nearby coca-cola ad, huge and almost scared.

“Yes.” Eddie smiled. “I really do.”

“Okay.” She looked relieved. “Is it possible to get some late-night ice cream around here?”

  
He drove them to the airport, his chest filled with dread. 

With all the sightseeing, and shopping, and family lunches and dinners there hadn’t really be any time for him and Richie to talk. Talk alone, without the girls just a few feet away. It had been a great few days, and Eddie would always remember them with a smile but he would have given a lot for just one quiet evening of watching movies with Richie, his feet tucked beneath the other man’s thighs.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Eddie said to Lily, who was ready to bawl. “I promise. We can read the new book you picked out yesterday.”

She was clinging to him, arms around his neck like a little boa-constrictor. 

“Can I just stay with you?” she asked, her voice wavering and muffled from where she had her face buried in his shirt.

Eddie rubbed her back with his free hand. “I’m sorry, bug. But I think your Daddy wants you home with him.”

Richie was walking over to them, done checking in the bags. Amelia was talking on the phone, tagging along behind her father. Not really paying attention.

“Bu-hut I don’t want to leave!” There was some sniffling, a hitched breath.

Richie reached them, placing a hand on Lily’s back. Their eyes met and Eddie felt his own breath hitch. 

“I’ll come to LA for Amelia’s birthday,” he told them both, a mantra he’d repeated in his head for hours before falling sleep last night. “That’s only a couple of weeks away.”

Richie stepped in, probably to gently loosen Lily’s grip from around Eddie’s neck and take her into his own arms. But he stopped at Eddie’s words, eyes open and vulnerable. Saying goodbye was hurting them all.

Eddie shuffled forward, closing the last few inches of space between them. Richie’s chest against Lily’s back. He wanted to reach out, pull him in further, never let go.

“My lawyer says we might have a date until then.”

Richie’s breath shuddered out, and then he leaned in until their foreheads were touching. Eddie felt himself relax, his eyes closing. Forehead to forehead, Lily between them, they breathed. Just that. Until Lily’s sobs were subsiding, and Eddie didn’t feel like he might just break the moment he lost them from sight.

“This is real cute and all,” Amelia interrupted the moment. “But we’ve really gotta go. Gate opens in like half an hour.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After researching, I want to go to New York even more!! 
> 
> Next chapter is kinda the last one peeps. Ch. 22 will be more of an epilogue.  
What a delightful journey this is, and thank you so much for all your kind words! Lots of love from my corner of the world to yours!


	21. Burnt Apple Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of pride, Pride, and coming out. Also there is pie.
> 
> ~Eddie POV~

Eddie spent the week before his flight to Los Angeles hounding stores all over the city, searching for the perfect present. He ended up with something bigger than he had originally planned on. Adding another piece of luggage to his reservation made him feel pleased. Richie had given him the permission to spoil Amelia, and he was planning on doing just that.

Summer and pride had arrived in New York, every storefront and flat surface plastered with rainbows and colors. Eddie had never taken the time to enjoy the atmosphere, to even acknowledge what was going on with more than a sneer. 

Last year he had still been drowning in forgotten memories, and a stifling relationship of guilt and dependence. Now, as he watched and opened his eyes to the city he’d lived in for more than a decade, he finally felt like a part of it. For the first time, he noticed the queer friends groups with their colorful flags and pins and hair, the gay couples holding hands, the women in love over Saturday brunch. 

It was still foreign, almost alien. Like he had traveled in time to a future where you could be proud to be different. But nevertheless, he felt himself relax in the atmosphere. He thought of Richie, wondered how it would feel to walk down the street with him, maybe even join the parade.

Sometimes he felt jealous at the pride and effortlessness people were displaying. How their sexuality was just a part of them, of who they were. Like it was nothing to be ashamed of, nothing that determined their whole being. Just an aspect of a person, a facet of many. Nothing of shame, nothing to be hidden away.

In this week, searching for the perfect present for Amelia, Eddie fell a little bit in love with New York City. He chuckled at himself. Just when he was ready to let go, to leave, to find something new, he discovered the city beyond the awful traffic and horrendous winters. But that was okay. He felt like walking the streets now, actually seeing the people and the beauty, he was in a way also saying goodbye.

  
Eddie had insisted on taking an Uber again. Dragging his suitcase up the bumpy sidewalk to the house with the pink picket fence, he thought back to march. How insecure he had felt about staying at Richie’s place, about the divorce, his future. How unsettled and nervous he had been. 

Well, he was still nervous. A different kind of nervous though. He was nervous to see Richie again, nervous whether things would stay weird. Nervous about how he would take the news.

Overall, he felt like a different man. No matter the nerves, he knew where he wanted to go, where he wanted to be. Who he wanted to be with. And he felt ready to claim.

The sun was burning hot on his skin, the air dry and unmoving. He pulled his suitcase through the front gate, up the walk, smiled at the googly eyes of the cactus - Mr. Carrot. The neighbors flowers were smelling intense, and he knew Richie hated them, which made his smile broaden into a grin.

He pressed his finger on the bell, and immediately heard a crash from inside. Running feet. 

The door burst open.

“Welcome home!” Lily screamed, her grin bigger than the sun.

He had planned on swirling her up in the air, even though she was in a growth spurt and shooting up like crazy. Richie had told him a few nights ago that her parents had both been tall, so she had quite a few more inches to look forward to. 

Instead of swooping the girl up and around until they were both dizzy, he blurted out: “I’m gay.”

He had in no way, shape or form planned on uttering those words. Ever.

Lily stared up at him, still grinning, still waiting for her hug. “Okay.”

And just like that he felt ready to cry.

“Stop stalling and come in!” Richie yelled from further inside the house.

Eddie started out of his spiraling thoughts.

“Hug?” Lily asked, her arms wide. Obviously, he complied.

Leaving his bags next to the shoe rack, Eddie took a few steps into the room. Then he stopped, the sight just a little too unexpected. 

Richie was standing in the kitchen, at the stove, guarding a pot and pushing around the contents of a pan. The smells were divine. Sage, tomatoes, and garlic. Boiling pasta. 

“You’re cooking?” Eddie slowly made his way over to the breakfast bar and slid onto a stool.

Lily came dancing along behind him, hopping up to sit next to him. Leaning into his side, she was precariously balancing on the edge of her seat.

“Naw.” Richie turned to them with a smile and winked. “Just the sous-chef. The real chef is upstairs, taking care of important business. She insisted to cook your Welcome-Home-Dinner.”

It took him all of five seconds, before Richie zeroed in on Eddie’s hand. The hand belonging to the arm that was wrapped around Lily to keep her from falling. Eddie knew what he was looking at, felt his ears and face warm up. It was a bit of a bold move.

“Eds?”

“Yeah?”

“Is that-”

“Yeah.” 

Eddie lifted his pinky so that the light gleamed along the metal band, and watched Richie’s expression. The ring Richie had found on the sidewalk in Portland had been too small for his ring finger, he had tried. It fit perfectly onto his little finger though. 

After only a few days, Eddie hadn’t yet gotten used to the feeling of wearing a ring, but he like the look of it. He liked the meaning behind it even more.

Richie’s face was a mixture of embarrassed bewilderment and bountiful joy. Soon enough the joy won out, his eyes crinkling and corners of his mouth pulling up.

“Lookin’ good, Eds.”

“Of course.”

A clattering of movement above them, then quick steps on the stairs.

“No running on the stairs!” Richie yelled, just as Amelia jumped down the last four steps in one fellow swoop that made Eddie’s heart skip a beat in dread.

She landed with both arms raised, then leaned forward into a bow. 

“I am beauty, I am grace,” she said to Richie. “Weightless, a cotton ball of light.”

“Bad!” Richie continued stirring the sauce in the pan. “Atrocious. But not in a good way. No running on the stairs!”

Amelia huffed at her father, then her eyes found Eddie. Immediately, her face blossomed into a broad smile. “Hi, Eddie!”

She came over for a hug, before joining Richie in the kitchen. “Looks good.”

“You were gone for five minutes, sweet pea. Even I cannot ruin something that quickly.”

Both Amelia and Eddie chuckled and gave the man a disbelieving look. He looked ready to flip them off.

“Nobody loves me!” Richie pressed his hands together at his breast like an actress in a Shakespeare play. “Lily, tell me at least you adore your father!”

Instead of that, she said: “Eddie’s gay.” And Eddie almost had a stroke. 

Why had nobody ever told him that kids were incapable of keeping anything for themselves?

Richie speared his daughter with one of his Father Stares. The scary, reprimanding ones that Eddie never would have thought him capable of. “Lily-”

“It’s true!” Eddie patted Lily’s head to assure her she had done nothing wrong, no matter how stern her father was looking at her. “She’s not making stuff up.”

The result was an awkward silence, in which Richie was staring at him. Unabashed, with his mouth half open. Lily was grinning, happy to be in the right, and Amelia didn’t really pay attention because she was busy stirring the sauce her father had abandoned. 

“What?” Richie finally managed.

Eddie rolled his eyes at him, his heart almost beating out of his chest, sweat collecting at his nape. “I am gay. I think. Yeah- I think I am gay.”

The ensuring silence was interrupted by Amelia. “Shit! Oh my God, Dad! The pie!”

  
They ate dinner out on the terrace. There was soft music seeping out through the open doors, filling the warm evening air with sound, and the slightly burnt smell of apple pie. 

Eddie knew he was staring but he couldn’t stop. Richie had made apple pie. For him. For Eddie. Amelia had told him in a whisper that she had done nothing more than find a recipe for her father, that Richie had been adamant about nobody helping him. Though apparently Lily had peeled the apples.

“This is delicious!” Eddie took another bite of pasta with sauce. “Good job, Ami.”

She blushed at his compliment. “Thank you. Learning from the best.”

Eddie waved her off. “Cooking is an art form. Without appreciation and awareness for it, even the best chefs produce lackluster food. You enjoyed making it, and that shows.”

“It’s your Welcome-Home-Dinner.” Amelia pushed an errand strand of hair back behind her ear. “So of course.”

Eddie truly did feel welcomed. He twirled some pasta around his fork - spaghetti, no surprises there - and watched the small family.

“August,” he said, and when they all looked at him with questioning looks, he elaborated: “the tenth of August is the preliminary court date. After that I’ll be free to move.”

The girls whooped, Lily mainly because Amelia did. Nevertheless, it was great to hear their excitement. 

“And you’ll move in here, right?” Amelia looked at him with hopeful eyes.

“If you’ll still take me.” 

Amelia harrumphed. “Of course!”

But Eddie was eying Richie, who hadn’t said anything so far. 

“The tenth?”

“Yeah.”

Richie’s face went through a series of complex expressions. “Oh wow. That- that’s sooner than I expected. We’ll be able to celebrate your birthday together.”

“So you still want me to move in?”

Richie looked at him like he was stupid. “Yes, Eddie. I do.”

  
The apple pie was surprisingly tasty, even though the top was somewhat burnt. Eddie was pretty sure nobody had ever made a more meaningful gesture for him. A throwback, a promise. He couldn’t care less about the slight char. And with the vanilla ice cream Amelia dug out of the freezer it became a true dessert.

Eddie was also pretty sure, he had never been so emotional while eating pie.

Later, when he was changing for bed, he couldn’t forget about the video Amelia had shown him of the baking process. It had been chaos. Eddie delighted in it, even more so when he noticed how embarrassed Richie got over it.

A knock. “Hey, Eds.”

Richie opened the door without waiting for an answer. 

Turning around with a sigh, Eddie let the shirt sink he had just picked up. “Yes?”

“Ami wants to know…” Richie froze with the hand still on the door knob. “Oh, sorry. I thought you were reading.”

“I took a shower first.”

“Uh, yeah, sure. I- I’ll come back later.” He didn’t move, eyes transfixed on Eddie’s chest.

The scar.

There was wonder in Richie’s eyes, and something soft, something sad, something heartbroken.

“It’s ugly, right?” Eddie asked, self-conscious. 

Richie took a step, the door to the hallway yawning open behind him. “No.”

“Close the door, Rich.” Eddie’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“With me on the outside?”

“No.”

Richie lifted his gaze, his eyes searching Eddie’s face. “You survived.”

“Yes, I did. Because you carried me out.”

“Can- can I?”

Eddie nodded, slow. His heart was picking up speed, stumbling through his chest. Anxious, tense, hopeful.

Richie edged forward like in slow motion. Somehow he still reached Eddie too quickly. It was already overwhelming, and there was still more than a foot of space between them.

“You sure?”

Suddenly they were so close, they were breathing the same air.

“Yes.” Eddie couldn’t look at his face, could only look down at his own chest, at the mess of scar tissue. It was still light pink, a wonder of modern medicine.

Richie’s finger were shaking. Eddie had expected him to trace the edge of it, maybe even touch one of the craters in the uneven skin. But Richie pushed all of his hand - his broad, rough palm - right against Eddie’s sternum. Into the middle of it all. On top of his rapid beating heart.

Eddie shuddered. The nerve endings that he had believed to be mostly dead, firing up. He groped for Richie’s hand on his chest, pressed it against the _ba-bump-ba-bump_ of his heart. Hard. His eyes fell closed at the feeling. Since the hospital nobody but him had touched his chest. 

It was too much - it wasn’t enough at all.

“August,” Richie whispered, a reminder. 

Eddie huffed. “Fuck August!” And then he pulled Richie in with his free hand.

Kissed him. 

No finesse. Only desire. A fraying rope, pulled taut until it snapped.

“Fuck!” Richie’s eyes were wide open, huge. He pulled back slightly, so they could look each other without going cross-eyed.

Eddie cradled the side of his face in his hand, Richie’s yaw prickly beneath his fingertips. The metal band around his pinky reflecting the light of the ceiling lamp.

“I hate you,” Eddie told Richie’s dumbfounded, stupid face. “But you’re also the love of my life.”

Richie’s eyes widened even further. Before he could start spluttering, Eddie pulled him into another kiss. This one gentler. Richie finally got the message, kissed back.

When they separated the next time, it was because Richie was laughing. He curled his fingers against Eddie’s chest, butted their forehands against one another.

“I love you too, Eds.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhmmm, thoughts?
> 
> (I know this is saccharine-sweet. Anyone got diabetes yet?)


	22. Muffin Tozier-Kaspbrak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia's birthday, and a move.

Amelia’s sixteenth birthday was a doozy. They celebrated as a family in the morning, with chocolate pancakes and ice cream, and then had a party in the afternoon. Amelia invited all her study group and theater friends, and Richie assured José that he was invited as well. After all, the man had watched Amelia grow up since she was seven.

Eddie had spent the whole morning in the kitchen, preparing a feast of Japanese delights and a small three-tier cake. Latter he had already prepared the day before and only needed decorating.

Richie tried to help, but Eddie kicked him out of the kitchen after he had almost dropped the mochi. 

Then, suddenly, the house was filled with teenagers, and one attention-hungry seven year-old that delighted in butting into conversations. Johnny played with her for a while, which made her day. Richie watched them throw dice and count out the eyes, Lily squealing in joy when she won.

Angel and Damian were sitting at the edge of the pool, legs dangling into the cool water. José was casually standing a few feet away with a lemonade, back to them. His glower was impressive.

The door bell rung and Richie walked back into the house, happy that everything was going so smoothly. When he opened the door, he came face to face with ice queen Matilde, the girl that had broken Amelia’s heart.

“Hello, Mr. Tozier.” Her smile was serene but Richie didn’t fall for it one bit.

“What do you want?” 

At his unfriendly tone, the girl hunched, drawing her shoulders up. It was a weird sight as she was normally standing proud and tall, knowing that all eyes were on her, admiring her.

“I came to apologize.”

Richie crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking down on her even though she was incredibly tall for a sixteen year-old.

“I brought a present,” she said, holding up a square wrapped in colorful paper.

“Richie?” 

He turned around to see Amelia walking up to him.  
  
“Who is it?”

“This better be good!” He gave the girl one last look which she hopefully would recognize as the waring it was. Then he stepped away, and let Amelia handle the situation.

Eddie’s eyes were worried when he joined him at the breakfast bar. Worried and also a little furious. Expressing what Richie felt inside.

“It’ll be okay,” he said, slouching on the chair. “Amelia is though.”

  
There was a huge mountain of presents on the table outside. Amelia seemed unsure where to start, so Richie just offered her a little box wrapped in a hand-drawn picture of her sister. Lily could barely stand still, while she was opening it. Her hands were tugging at Amelia’s sleeve, obstructing the process more than speeding it up.

“Daddy helped me,” she said, when Amelia uncovered the wooden box, painted in a beautiful indigo. Inside it were two bracelets which Lily had made - with Richie’s help.

“Aww, oh wow, Lily!” Amelia took one out and showed it around the crowd so everyone could marvel at it. 

“There is two,” Lily explained. “One for you, and one for me.”

“Oh, are you cute!” Amelia poked her on the nose. “Can you help me put it on?”

Richie gifted her the first two photo albums he had put together with Eddie - one of the first couple of years after Richie took her in, and the other of their trip to Italy. She scried, and sprinted to Richie to hug him breathless.

“It was Eddie’s idea!” he pressed out, before loosing consciousness. “He helped!”

And thus Eddie was pulled into the hug, laughing and not even bothering to protest.

His present made her laugh, and jump up, and hug him again. It was a custom painted longboard, the underside a selfie of her and Angel, featuring the casted arm.

“Be careful with it!” Eddie tousled her hair. “One broken arm is enough.”

“Longboards aren’t that dangerous. Don’t worry.”

“That’s what the dude at the store said too. It’s why I bought it.”

Amelia laughed, and Richie scrambled for his phone. He had totally forgotten to take pictures of the whole event.

Matilde, who had been allowed to stay, gifted Amelia a collection of poems, which made her cackle. An insider Richie wasn’t privy to, but he was happy, she was happy.

There were many more presents, t-shirts, books, some funny socks, a phone case and more. But obviously Richie still had an ace up his sleeve. After all he was her Dad and he wouldn’t let anyone outshine him. So he sneaked away, Eddie’s knowing eyes following him, and went to his office.

Amelia and Lily jumped up when they saw him come back out. Amelia stayed in her circle of friends, her eyes gleaming with wonder and excitement, while Lily came running.

“No! Dad! You didn’t!” Amelia was breathless.

Letting the little puppy down, he gloated. “She still needs a name. Any ideas?”

  
A few days after the birthday party, Eddie had to leave for New York again. Richie didn’t like it, but know he had a date. He could count the days - and maybe he did just that. If so, he would never tell anyone about it.

June, turned to July. They celebrated the forth by doing volunteer work as a family. Eddie called at night, after the firework show, and Richie forced him to stay on the phone until two am. 

During July they went to visit Richie’s parents, which wasn’t the most enjoyable trip. Thus he made an effort to make the rest of the girls’ summer vacation more fun. They went to water parks, and to Disneyland. On hikes and little camping trips in the mountains, even on the road trip along the coast up to San Fransisco that Richie had been itching to go on since Bev sent the pictures. Amelia wanted to see Alcatraz, Lily wanted to go to the museum. They did all that and also visited Stan and his wife, who was positively radiant and really starting to show her pregnancy.

“Twin boys,” Stan said, and he was prouder than Richie had ever seen him.

They even met Stan’s dog, who got along with Muffin brilliantly. 

It had been Lily’s idea to call their new puppy Muffin. Nobody had a better idea. And thus the Tozier-Kaspbrak family now owned a dog called Muffin. Richie delighted in making up jokes about it for his stand up routine. Towards the end of July, he told Eddie, they would need to make a photo album just for the puppy, because she was just so cute. Eddie hadn’t fought the idea. Richie was pretty sure he was just as enamored with the dog as the girls.

Finally, August rolled around and time slowed down again. It was like the world was holding its breath right along with Richie. He didn’t dare relax. He didn’t dare hope and he didn’t dare look forward to the tenth.

But then the tenth arrived, the date just staring at Richie from his phone. He felt like he was walking on eggshells the whole day. Amelia and Lily both kept clear of him, sticking to the garden, playing with Muffin, swimming in the pool.

He couldn’t wait for the phone call. At the same time, he almost didn’t pick up when it finally rang.

“Eds?” he asked, his voice cautious. 

“It’s done!” Eddie laughed. “It’s done, Rich! The divorce is through!”

  
The next morning, Eddie let himself into the house with the spare key Richie had sent him per mail sometime in July. Richie was dozing on the sofa, tired after a night of restless sleep. Though as soon as he heard the door open he was wide awake.

Eddie shuffled inside, let his bags fall down besides the shoe rack. “I’m home.”

Scrambling right over the back of the sofa, Richie gracefully landed on his feet. “Eds!”

Eddie pulled him into a hug as soon as he was within arms reach. “Hey.”

Withdrawing a bit, Richie looked down into Eddie’s face. His eyes were still the same as back when they were kids. Gentle brown. Snark, humor, home.

Richie kissed him. Soft and slow. They had all the time in the world now. And kissing Eddie was something he would never grow tired of. Not in a hundred years.

“Come. Let’s get you settled in.” Richie took a step back. “I cleared out half my closet for you.”

“The guest bedroom-”

Richie glared. “Is a guest bedroom again.”

Eddie rolled his eyes at him. “Wait ‘till I’m done talking, dipshit. It would be great if I could use the guest bedroom as an office.”

Richie felt a grin pulling at his lips. He leaned down to grab Eddie’s suitcase, and bag. “I could also put another table in my office.”

“Your office smells like cheese puffs and cold pizza. So, no thank you.”

Eddie led the way upstairs. At Richie’s bedroom door he stopped. Hesitated. Richie gave him a gentle nudge. “Mi casa es tu casa, Eduardo.”

Richie could hear Eddie take a deep breath, then he finally opened the door. “Where are the kids?”

“José took them and Muffin to the park.” He placed the suitcase and bag in front of the wardrobe. “Just for an hour or so. They’re really hyped for you to finally move in. Fair warning, Lily is going around telling all her friends she has two dads now. Just so you know. We never really talked about-”

When Richie turned around, Eddie was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching him. “So they’ll be back soon?”

“Soon-ish?” Richie swallowed at Eddie’s expression. “I could message him to take them out for ice cream after the park?”

Eddie leaned back on his hands. Waiting. 

Richie fumbled for his phone. “Okay, just- one sec.” 

He felt like a teenager again. Nervous. Restless. Like he had downed three cans of Red Bull in short succession and the caffeine was starting to hit.

Stepping between Eddie’s legs, Richie almost couldn’t believe this was real. His chest was constricting, felt raw and splayed open. Eddie’s eyes never left his face, dark and almost dangerous.

“Give me your phone.”

Richie held it out, his hand shaking slightly. His lockscreen was a picture of the four of them on Amelia’s birthday, Muffin licking Eddie’s face- and Eddie letting her. He could see Eddie’s lips perking into a smile when he saw it.

“What are you doing?” 

Eddie looked up at him again. “Turning it off. Now come here.” 

“Bossy.” Richie grinned down at him but then he complied. Obviously, he did.

  
That evening Eddie and the girls made lasagna. Richie kept to the breakfast bar, watching, while Muffin wagged her tail at Eddie, hoping for scraps. She had no such luck. It was no surprise to Richie when she slunk out of the kitchen after another glare from Eddie. He lifted her up onto his lap, consoling the poor puppy.

“Don’t you dare and sneak her something!” Eddie pointed a wooden spoon at him in warning. “If you do, I’ll move back to the guest bedroom.”

“Aww, poor baby.” Richie hugged Muffin, and let her slobber all over his neck. “Dad Eddie is so strict.”

“Dogs shouldn’t beg for food.” Eddie huffed, and turned back to the pan.

Amelia’s shoulders were twitching with silent laughter. She was cutting zucchini, while Lily was stood on a stool next to her, peeling carrots. Lily looked up at their banter.

“Dad Eddie?” she asked. 

Eddie stiffened. His eyes were wide when they found Richie’s, hopeful.

“Call him Dad, if you want, bug.” Richie kept his gaze locked with Eddie’s. “He’s here to stay.”

Lily abandoned her duty, jumping from her stool right into Eddie’s arms. He caught her with a laugh.

Richie had to swallow around a lump in his throat at the sight. His family felt complete. Like everything had finally fallen into place.

  
Later that night, after they had read Lily her goodnight story together, they settled on the sofa. Amelia was in her room, probably skyping with Angel, or talking to Matilde. The two of them were friends now, but Richie could easily read Amelia’s glowing face when she was texting with the other girl. He was surprised they hadn’t taken the next step yet. Maybe taking things slow was a family trait.

The thought made him chuckle. Eddie turned to look at him, from where he was browsing through Netflix.

“What?”

“Was thinking about your cute moans, Eds.”

Eddie kicked at him. Richie grabbed his ankle with a laugh. This time he had no problem with planting a kiss on the soft skin. Eddie’s glower gentled into a frown.

“I hate you.”

Richie grinned at him, delighted. “Love you too, Spaghetti-Man.”

~THE END~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it!
> 
> Tell me what you think about the end? I hope it's a satisfying conclusion. 
> 
> Writing this was a joy, a delight. Thank you for reading and coming along on this journey. I hope you had a great time! Have a wonderful day or night, wherever you are in the world.


End file.
